WARREN  CHENEY 


HIS  WIFE 


OF  cxu, 


HIS  WIFE 


By  WARREN  CHENEY 


AUTHOR    OF 

The  Challenge,"  "The  Way  of  the 
North,"  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 
FRANK  E.  SCHOONOVER 


A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY 
Publishers  New  York 


COPYRIGHT  1907 
THK  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 

OCTOBER 


To  My  Literary  Godmother 
C.  EMMA  CHENEY 


2126132 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  The  Going 1 

II  The  Return ,       .        .      32 

III  Sara  Meets  With  a  Check         .....      69 

IV  Luka  Receives  Advice       .       .       .        .        .        .96 

V  Lisa's  Fortune  . 117 

VI  Luka's  Eyes  Are  Opened          .       .        .       .  166 

VII  The  Man  at  the  Tryst 186 

VIII  Thoma  Goes  A-Wooing     .        .        ,        .        .        .214 

IX  The  Meeting  on  the  Hill  .        .        .        .        .249 

X  The  Questioning  of  Lisa  .....    284 

XI  The  Rescue  of  Thoma 320 

XII  The  Man  Whom  Luka  Found          ....    340 
XIII  Lisa's  Story 368 


HIS  WIFE 


HIS  WIFE 

CHAPTER  I 

THE   GOING 

God  made  some  men  slow  in  being  moved,  and 
when  they  told  Luka  Antonovitch  Strukof  that 
his  wife  was  dead,  he  did  not  cry  aloud  or  make 
other  customary  sign.  He  rose  quickly  to  his 
feet  and  for  a  breathing  space  stood  looking  at 
the  messengers  with  an  intentness  that  was  al- 
most terror  in  his  melancholy  eyes.  Then, 
without  a  word,  he  gathered  the  papers  with 
which  he  had  been  at  work  and  put  them  me- 
thodically aside;  and  passing  out  of  the  little 
room  in  the  great  barrack  which  served  him  for 
an  office  during  the  day,  he  went  swiftly  across 
the  level  ground  to  his  own  house  at  the  gate 
of  the  stockade. 

Nor  did  his  bearing  show  how  he  was  stirred 
when  he  had  entered,  and  come  into  the  chamber 
where  the  stricken  woman  was.  The  room  was 
full  of  people  and  the  sufferer  still  lay  where 

I 


2  HIS  WIFE 

she  had  fallen,  though  some  one  with  a  rough 
attempt  at  kindness  had  propped  a  cushion  un- 
derneath her  head.  The  sound  of  the  wailing 
ceased  as  he  knelt  beside  her  on  the  floor,  and 
the  place  grew  absolutely  still  as  they  waited  to 
see  what  he  would  do.  It  was  all  one,  though, 
to  Luka  Strukof,  for  he  neither  saw  nor  heard 
them  as  he  bent  above  his  wife  and  gently  lifted 
up  her  hand. 

"What  is  it,  Kovya?"  he  said  softly.  "Tell 
me  what  it  1st"  The  woman's  hand  remained 
limp  and  unresponsive  in  his  grasp  and  he 
shook  it  slightly  to  emphasize  his  demand. 

"Kovya?"  he  said  again  with  wistful  tender- 
ness, and  at  his  insistence  a  stir  of  sympathy 
ran  through  the  room.  He  heard  it  and  lifted 
his  face  defiantly  to  the  crowd. 

"Why  did  you  say  that  she  was  dead?"  he 
said  with  searching  challenge.  He  gathered 
the  unresisting  body  in  his  arms  and  carried  it 
to  the  bed  along  the  wall.  Then  turning  his 
back  to  it,  he  faced  those  in  the  room  with  an 
almost  fierce  impatience. 

"Go!"  he  said  harshly.  "We  wish  to  be 
alone."  He  stood  in  rigid  silence  while  the 
room  was  being  cleared,  letting  his  eyes  rest 


THE  GOING  3 

imperatively  on  one  after  another  of  the  retreat- 
ing crowd  until  the  last  of  them  was  out.  The 
only  one  who  did  not  go  was  a  girl  of  fifteen 
years,  who  up  to  this  time  had  remained  in  the 
background  among  the  others  in  the  room.  Her 
face  was  red  with  weeping  and  her  eyes  wide 
with  the  fear  she  could  not  put  in  words. 

When  they  two  were  alone  together,  she  came 
swiftly  forward  and,  falling  on  her  knees  beside 
the  bed,  threw  her  arms  convulsively  around 
the  unconscious  woman  ?s  body  and  hid  her  face 
in  her  neck.  Luka  Antonovitch  followed  her 
movements  with  the  same  gloomy  abstraction  of 
glance  with  which  he  had  watched  the  self-ap- 
pointed mourners  go.  And  then,  bending  his 
straight  figure  over  her  with  the  first  human 
softening  he  had  shown,  he  unclasped  her  hands 
and  drew  the  girl  gently  back. 

"Let  her  be  still,  Sara,  until  she  wakens  for 
herself,"  he  said  softly.  The  girl,  however, 
was  not  won  to  his  belief  and  shrank  from  him 
with  a  touch  of  her  former  fear.  She  tried 
bravely  to  speak  what  was  in  her  mind,  but  be- 
fore she  could  bring  her  lips  to  the  service,  he 
had  seemingly  forgotten  her  and  her  distress 
and,  as  if  he  were  alone,  turned  himself 


4  HIS  WIFE 

aimlessly  to  drawing  up  the  covers  and  pressing 
them  around  the  sufferer's  neck.  When  there 
seemed  to  him  no  more  of  this  to  do,  he  bent 
again  to  the  kneeling  girl  and,  lifting  her,  drew 
her  away  into  the  middle  of  the  room. 

''You,  too,  had  better  go,"  he  said  with  coax- 
ing tenderness.  "I  shall  wait  here  by  your 
mother  and  call  you  when  she  wakes."  The 
girl's  eyes  pleaded  dumbly  against  dimissal, 
but  she  did  not  find  the  courage  to  object,  and  in 
the  end,  with  a  little  sob,  she  went  obediently 
away.  Luka  Antonovitch  went  with  her  to  the 
door  and  smiled  at  her  with  reassuring  confi- 
dence as  she  passed  out.  But  once  she  was 
gone,  he  closed  the  door  relentlessly  behind  her 
and  she  heard  the  grate  of  the  bolt  as  he  shot  it 
in  the  lock. 

All  that  afternoon  the  barrier  remained 
raised  between  her  and  the  two  who  up  to  this 
time  had  made  for  her  her  world.  No  one  came 
to  her  from  the  outside  and  she  spent  the  hours 
lying  on  the  floor  in  front  of  the  forbidden  por- 
tal, fighting  with  her  grief  and  listening  with 
strained  ears  for  sounds  of  what  was  going  on 
within. 

At  dusk,  she  mustered  courage  to  tap  with 


THE  GOING  5 

light  hand  on  the  panels  of  the  door;  and,  re- 
ceiving no  response,  she  called  with  apologetic 
softness  to  the  man  within.  Luka  Antonovitch 
vouchsafed  no  answer  and  all  her  efforts  failed 
of  a  return,  save  that  once  or  twice  she  heard 
beyond  the  wall  the  muffled  tread  of  his  feet  as 
he  walked  restlessly  up  and  down.  She  re- 
mained at  her  post  until  midnight  and  it  was 
completely  dark.  Then  her  heart  failed  her 
and  she  went  to  Akoulina  Fedosyevna,  the  wife 
of  the  commandant,  who  had  been  her  mother 's 
closest  friend. 

The  lady  had  been  long  since  in  bed,  but  arose 
at  once  on  hearing  who  demanded  her  and  came 
down  in  her  slippers,  holding  together  her  yel- 
low bed-gown  which  she  had  not  taken  time  to 
button  on  the  way.  She  was  a  tall,  angular 
creature  with  sharp  features  and  a  somewhat 
forbidding  air.  But  her  heart  warmed  to  the 
forlorn  little  figure  that  faced  her  in  the  shadow 
of  the  dimly  lighted  room,  and  there  was  only 
compassion  in  her  voice,  as  she  bent  and  drew 
the  child  gently  to  her  side. 

' '  Poor  little  fish ! ' '  she  said  almost  in  a  whis- 
per. "Is  Praskovia  Egorovna  then  really 
dead  I"  She  had  an  arm  that  was  a  comfort 


6  HIS  WIFE 

round  the  neck  of  one  distressed,  and  in  its  shel- 
ter the  child  clung  to  her  convulsively  and,  with- 
out answering,  gave  herself  up  unreservedly  to 
tears. 

Akoulina  Fedosyevna  waited  until  the  first 
whirl  of  the  storm  was  past  and  then,  disengag- 
ing herself  gently,  drew  the  unresisting  girl 
after  her  into  her  own  room.  Still  without 
question,  she  settled  the  child  among  the  covers 
on  her  bed,  smoothed  out  her  clothes  and  hair, 
and  comforted  her  until  the  color  slowly 
mounted  in  her  cheeks  and  she  commenced  again 
to  look  somewhat  composedly  on  life.  The 
older  woman  watched  her  till  she  thought  the 
process  sufficiently  complete  and  then  began 
cautiously  to  draw  from  her  the  history  of  the 
day. 

"You  were  right  to  come,"  she  said,  after 
listening  to  the  story  to  the  end.  "If  your 
mother  is  alive,  she  should  have  Christian  help. 
If  she  is  dead,  Luka  Antonovitch  should  not  deny 
to  her  the  right  of  decent  prayers.  I  will  speak 
to  my  husband  and  we  will  go  to  her  at  once." 
She  went  impetuously  across  the  chamber  and 
began  beating  with  her  hands  upon  the  door  of 
an  adjoining  room. 


THE  GOING  7 

"  Pa  veil  Pavel  Pavelovitch ! "  she  called. 
"Get  up  at  once.  Dress  yourself  quickly. 
There  is  a  need ! ' '  There  was  no  reply,  and  she 
repeated  the  demand,  a  note  of  impatience  ris- 
ing in  her  voice.  Finally  there  was  an  answer- 
ing rumble  from  beyond  the  partition  wall,  and 
Akoulina  Fedosyevna  desisted  from  her  en- 
deavors and  came  hurriedly  to  the  child  upon 
the  bed. 

"Men  are  so  stupid,"  she  declared  impa- 
tiently. "It  takes  an  earthquake  to  wake  them 
when  once  they  are  asleep!"  Seizing  her 
clothes  from  a  chair,  she  retired  with  them  be- 
hind a  screen  and  for  a  time  there  was  no 
sound  in  the  room  beyond  the  rustle  of  her 
strenuous  dressing. 

The  agitation  of  it  was  at  full  height  when1 
the  door  of  Pavel  Pavelovitch's  chamber 
opened  and  the  commandant  himself  stepped 
out  into  the  room.  Sara  Lukievna  had  never 
before  seen  him  shorn  of  his  official  clothes  and 
she  shrank  back  among  her  covers  with  a  little 
cry  of  alarm.  Pavel  Pavelovitch,  for  his  part, 
was  equally  surprised.  He  stood  and  gazed  at 
the  unexpected  guest  in  blank  amazement, 
though  unconscious  gallantry  sent  his  hand  to 


8  HIS  WIFE 

his  nightcap,  so  that  he  doffed  and  held  it  po- 
litely against  his  breast.  Akoulina  Fedosyevna 
discovered  him  before  he  was  sufficiently  com- 
posed to  speak. 

"Did  I  not  tell  you  there  was  a  haste?"  she 
said  sharply.  "Go  back  at  once  and  get  some- 
thing on  your  legs. ' '  The  little  man  blushed  up 
to  the  roots  of  his  hair.  He  gave  a  furtive 
glance  down  at  his  bare  ankles  and  another  of 
impotent  fury  at  his  wife.  Then,  without  an- 
swer, he  backed  swiftly  away,  as  if  even  in 
retreat  he  felt  a  need  to  keep  the  enemy  honor- 
ably at  his  front,  bounced  smartly  around  the 
door  and  disappeared,  shutting  it  after  him 
with  a  bang. 

"I  have  such  trouble  with  him,"  said  the  old 
lady  severely.  "He  will  know  better  the  next 
time  that  he  comes."  She  finished  her  dress- 
ing and  came  out,  folding  and  arranging  a  shawl 
for  immediate  use  outside.  Going  to  the  door 
of  his  chamber,  she  called  to  her  husband  as 
before.  He  responded  almost  at  once  and  this 
time  he  was  dressed  and  carried  himself  with 
his  usual  air  of  conscious  dignity. 

"What  is  this — what  is  this!"  he  said  with 
some  severity.  "Where  is  it  you  are  taking 


THE  GOING  9 

me  at  this  hour  of  the  night?"  The  old  lady 
was  too  accustomed  to  his  habit  of  opposition 
to  be  even  temporarily  abashed. 

"It  is  a  work  of  mercy,"  she  answered  with 
reproving  seriousness.  "We  are  going  to  the 
house  at  the  gate  to  see  if  Praskovia  Egorovna 
is  still  alive. ' '  Pavel  Pavelovitch  sniffed  vigor- 
ously as  an  indication  of  his  disapproval,  but 
catching  the  wistful  eyes  of  the  girl  fixed  ap- 
pealingly  upon  him,  he  thought  better  of  his  dis- 
play of  temper  and  quietly  signified  his  assent. 

"I  was  told  that  Luka  Antonovitch  did  not 
wish  to  be  disturbed,"  he  said  apologetically. 
"Otherwise  I  should  have  gone  there  long  ago." 
Akoulina  Fedosyevna  put  her  arms  around  the 
girl  and  kissed  her  sympathetically. 

"Remain  here  till  morning,"  she  said.  "In 
my  bed  you  will  rest  as  safe  as  if  you  were  in 
the  bosom  of  Christ."  Sara  Lukievna,  how- 
ever, clung  to  her  and  would  not  let  her  go. 

"You  must,  my  dear!"  said  the  old  lady, 
mopping  vigorously  at  her  eyes.  It  had  been 
a  long  time  since  a  child  had  thus  turned  to  her 
for  sympathy  and  the  warmth  of  the  small  body 
pressed  against  her  breast  brought  an  un- 
wonted stirring  at  the  heart. 


10  HIS  WIFE 

"I  believe  God  sent  you,"  she  said  with  a 
laugh  that  was  half  a  sob.  "It  is  like  having 
my  own  again. ' '  She  gave  herself  up  unreserv- 
edly to  the  sensation  and  bent  above  the  girl 
till  her  face  was  against  the  auburn  head  on  her 
arm. 

"Have  no  fear,  child,  for  that  which  is  to 
come,"  she  whispered.  "God  grant  that  Pras- 
kovia  Egorovna  may  not  really  be  dead;  but  if 
she  is,  you  will  still  find  a  mother  in  me  as  long 
as  I  am  alive." 

"You  must  arrange  it  for  me,  Pavel,"  she 
said  later  as  they  went  along  in  the  night.  "I 
must  have  the  child  if  Praskovia  Egorovna  is 
gone." 

"Do  not  worry,"  he  answered  lightly. 
"When  we  get  there  you  will  find  she  is  not 
dead."  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  made  no  answer 
and  they  stumbled  on  in  silence  for  a  time. 
But  the  thing  still  stirred  unsatisfied  in  her 
mind,  and  suddenly  she  took  her  husband  by  the 
arm  and  let  her  weight  lean  on  him  as  she  spoke. 

"Pavel,"  she  said  with  a  tremulous  thrill  of 
speech,  "do  you  not  remember  how  our  Thoma 
used  to  cling  to  me  when  he  was  distressed?" 

There  was  no  sign  of  life  apparent  when  thej^ 


THE  GOING  11 

came  to  the  house  at  the  gate.  The  door  stood 
open  as  Sara  Lukievna  had  left  it,  and  at  no 
point  within  was  there  any  gleam  of  light. 
Pavel  Pavelovitch  stopped  his  wife  at  the 
threshold  and  listened  vainly  for  some  guid- 
ing sound.  Then,  acting  on  the  information 
gathered  from  the  child,  they  groped  their  way 
cautiously  through  the  empty  rooms  to  the  door 
before  which  Sara  Lukievna  had  kept  watch. 
The  commandant  tried  it  softly  and  found  that 
it  was  locked.  He  tapped  upon  it  lightly  and 
then  with  increasing  force,  and,  when  there  was 
no  answer,  raised  his  voice  and  called  loudly  to 
the  man  within. 

"Do  you  hear  me,  Luka  Antonovitch?"  he 
shouted.  "It  is  I,  Pavel  Pavelovitch,  who 
speaks.  I  command  you  to  open  the  door!'* 
There  was  a  stir  from  the  room  beyond,  the  bolt 
turned  softly  in  the  lock,  and  the  door  gave 
slowly  back.  It  opened  about  a  quarter  of  the 
way  and  Luka  Antonovitch  appeared  in  the 
opening  and  stood  looking  furtively  out.  With 
one  hand  he  kept  hold  upon  the  latch  so  that 
without  leave  no  one  should  pass  by  him  into 
the  room.  In  the  other  he  held  a  small  lamp, 
raised  high  above  his  head,  so  that  his  eyes 


12  HIS  WIFE 

should  not  be  dazzled  by  the  light  as  he  looked. 
The  lamp  gave  so  faint  a  light  that  it  showed 
nothing  clearly  and  served  to  accentuate  the 
shadows  in  the  place  rather  than  to  make  dis- 
tinct the  figures  of  the  man  and  woman  who 
stood  before  him  in  the  gloom.  When  he  saw 
that  it  was  indeed  the  commandant,  his  vigilance 
relaxed. 

"What  is  it  that  you  want?"  he  said  cau- 
tiously. The  commandant's  impatience  ran 
away  with  his  self-control. 

"Want?"  he  echoed,  raising  his  big  voice. 
"What  I  want  is  to  know  why  you  and  your 
wife  shut  yourselves  up  in  this  mysterious  way, 
and  refuse  to  receive  people  when  they  come!" 
Luka  Antonovitch  calmly  ignored  both  the  com- 
mandant's irritation  and  his  question,  and 
warningly  held  up  his  hand. 

"Be  still!"  he  said  softly.  "Kovya  Ego- 
rovna  is  not  yet  awake."  Akoulina  Fedosyevna 
caught  the  words  and  pushed  by  her  husband 
with  a  cry  of  joy. 

"Then  she  is  really  alive?"  she  demanded 
breathlessly.  He  fixed  his  eyes  on  her  with  the 
sober  intentness  which  had  been  looking  out  of 
them  from  the  time  he  first  heard  of  his  wife's 


THE  GOING  13 

attack,  and  as  he  understood  the  question  his 
face  relaxed  into  a  smile. 

"Yes,  she  is  alive, "  he  said  gently.  Akou- 
lina  Fedosyevna  pushed  against  him  and  made 
as  if  she  would  have  passed  him  by. 

' '  Thank  God ! "  she  cried.  ' l  Take  me  .to  her 
at  once  that  I  may  see  her  with  my  eyes."  But 
Luka  Antonovitch  stubbornly  barred  the  way 
and  would  not  let  her  pass. 

"No,  no,"  he  said,  as  if  speaking  to  a  child. 
"Kovya  Egorovna  is  asleep,  and  it  would  not 
be  well  to  disturb  her  till  she  wakes."  Akou- 
lina  Fedosyevna  remembered  what  Sara 
Lukievna  had  said  about  her  father's  mis- 
taken confidence,  and  was  determined  to  ex- 
amine the  matter  for  herself. 

"Let  me  look  at  her  then,  at  least,"  she 
pleaded.  "I  shall  not  so  much  as  breathe 
while  I  am  there ! ' '  Luka  Antonovitch  showed 
no  signs  of  yielding,  and  kept  his  body  stub- 
bornly in  the  way. 

"No  one  can  go  in  until  she  wakes,"  he 
answered,  and  pushed  her  gently  back. 

"This  is  rank  nonsense!"1  cried  the  com- 
mandant. "  If  we  do  not  go  in,  how  can  we  tell 
what  is  to  be  done?"  He  came  forward  with 


14  HIS  WIFE 

the  evident  intention1  of  forcing  his  way  into 
the  room.  Luka  Antonovitch  divined  his  pur- 
pose and  in  his  eyes  there  began  to  burn  a 
spark  of  fire. 

"Take  care!"  he  cried  warningly.  "I  have 
said  that  no  one  can  come  in."  Pavel  Pavel- 
ovitch  was  a  choleric  man  and,  moreover,  was 
not  used  to  having  his  commands  disputed  by 
those  around  him  at  the  post.  He  continued 
on  his  way  and,  without  attempt  at  answer, 
pressed  himself  in  between  Luka  Antonovitch 
and  Akoulina  Fedosyevna. 

"It  is  an  order,"  he  announced  with  dignity, 
and  laid  his  hand  on  Luka  Antonovitch 's 
breast.  The  latter  shook  himself  free  from 
the  other 's  touch  and,  without  a  show  either 
of  anger  or  of  fear,  seized  the  little  man  by  the 
shoulder  and  thrust  him  away  from  him  so  that 
he  went  sprawling  backward  on  the  floor. 
Then  without  further  attention  to  his  discom- 
fiture, he  turned  to  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  with 
his  former  deprecatory  smile. 

"I  think  it  is  better  that  we  be  left  alone," 
he  said  with  the  same  quiet  conviction,  and  be- 
fore the  astonished  woman  could  recover  her 
equanimity,  he  had  closed  the  door  tightly  and 


THE  GOING  15 

locked  it  in  her  face.  Pavel  Pavelovitch 
scrambled  nimbly  to  his  feet,  but  before  he 
could  begin  a  new  advance,  Akoulina  Fedosy- 
evna  had  found  him  in  the  dark  and  pinioned 
him  tightly  in  her  arms. 

"Let  me  go!"  he  shouted,  and  struggled  to 
be  free. 

"I  will  not,"  she  answered.  "What  could 
you  do  against  Luka  Antonovitch  as  he  now  is? 
He  is  not  himself,  Pavel.  His  grief  has  turned 
his  mind." 

"So  much  the  worse  for  him,  then!"  he 
panted  in  the  close  embrace.  "Are  you  going 
to  let  Praskovia  Egorovna  die  there  without 
help?" 

"About  that,  there  is  no  knowing,"  she  an- 
swered, "but  Luka  Antonovitch  may  be  right. 
Let  the  matter  go  until  morning  and  then,  if 
he  does  not  admit  you,  you  can  have  him  put 
under  arrest."  The  grip  of  her  arms  re- 
mained firm  around  him  and  the  little  man  after 
a  moment  gave  up  the  ineffectual  struggle  and 
announced  a  truce. 

"Very  well,  then,"  he  said  with  a  sudden  re- 
turn to  his  rotund  speech.  "We  will  give  him 
the  benefit  of  the  doubt."  He  freed  himself 


16  HIS  WIFE 

from  her  embrace  and  walked  with  offended 
dignity  to  the  door. 

"Luka  Antonovitch ! "  he  called  in  his  most 
official  tone,  and  struck  the  wood  threateningly 
with  his  hand.  "We  are  going  now  for  the 
night,  but  to-morrow  at  eight  o'clock  I  shall 
come  again  and  then,  my  friend,  you  will  have 
to  open  the  door ! ' ' 

Pavel  Pavelovitch  was  never  a  man  to  for- 
get his  word  and  eight  o'clock  found  him  punc- 
tually back  with  a  posse  of  four  men  behind  him 
to  carry  out  his  commands.  The  house  at  the 
gate  was  as  empty  and  silent  as  it  had  been 
the  night  before,  and  no  man  forbade  the  un- 
invited guests  as  they  stealthily  entered.  The 
door  of  Luka  Antonovitch 's  chamber  was  still 
closed  and  the  commandant  came  to  a  halt  in 
front  of  it  and  motioned  to  his  companions  to 
stand  close. 

He  struck  the  door  loudly  and  called  impe- 
riously to  the  man  within.  The  culprit  made 
no  answer  and  almost  unconsciously  the  com- 
mandant tried  the  latch.  To  his  surprise  it 
turned  readily  and  let  the  door  give  inward 
with  his  hand.  With  a  motion  of  his  head  and 
a  significant  look  at  his  men,  he  swung  it  wide 


THE  GOING  17 

open  and  the  whole  party  burst  impetuously 
into  the  room  beyond. 

Then,  as  suddenly,  they  stopped  and  stood 
looking  at  one  another  with  astonished  eyes; 
for  the  place  was  empty  and  there  was  no  sign 
in  it  of  either  the  man  or  the  woman  they  had 
come  to  seek.  Pavel  Pavelovitch  was  the  first 
to  recover  himself,  and  after  a  swift  glance 
which  took  in  the  whole  apartment  he  went 
across  to  the  bed  against  the  wall. 

"Luka  Antonovitch  was  a  wise  man,"  he 
said  quietly.  "He  understood  me  last  night 
when  I  said  that  I  would  come."  He  remained 
for  some  moments  looking  absently  down  at  the 
empty  couch  and  running  his  hand  here  and 
there  among  the  covers  as  if  he  hoped  to  find 
Praskovia  Egorovna  still  hidden  somewhere 
in  the  folds.  Then  with  a  shrug,  he  straight- 
ened himself  and  turned  to  the  waiting  men. 

"He  is  no  longer  here,"  he  said  shortly, 
' '  though  I  can  not  believe  that  he  has  wandered 
far  away.  Look  into  the  matter  for  me  with- 
out delay  and  report  to  me  as  soon  as  he  is 
found." 

The  finding  of  the  fugitive  proved  less  easy 
than  the  commandant  had  thought.  The  search 


18  HIS  WIFE 

was  strenuous,  but  it  only  brought  to  light  that 
no  one  had  seen  him  when  he  went  away  and 
that  he  had  found  shelter  in  no  habitation  of 
the  post.  He  had  taken  his  wife  and  vanished 
utterly  with  her  into  the  night.  Realizing  the 
hopelessness  of  following  him  successfully  into 
the  wilderness  outside  the  town,  after  an  in- 
effectual day,  the  commandant  saw  no  plan 
worth  while  but  to  call  in  the  pursuit  and  wait 
with  such  patience  as  he  might  until  the  thing 
should  resolve  itself  in  its  own  natural  way. 

It  was  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  who  first 
brought  news  of  him  again.  She  had  gone 
to  the  house  at  the  gate  to  fetch  required 
clothing  for  the  child,  and  came  upon  him 
without  warning,  sitting  alone  at  the  table 
in  the  dusk  of  his  great  front  room.  He 
had  set  out  a  meal  and  was  eating  hungrily, 
but  he  paused  on  seeing  her  and  gave  her 
recognition  by  a  bend  of  the  head,  though  he 
did  not  rise  or  speak. 

It  was  like  raising  a  ghost  to  come  upon  him 
thus  unexpectedly  in  the  shadowy  indistinct- 
ness of  the  place  and,  for  a  moment,  Akoulina 
Fedosyevna  felt  her  heart  stand  still.  She 
caught  her  breath  and  instinctively  made  the 


THE  GOING  19 

sign  of  the  cross  and  then,  after  an  Instant, 
felt  the  blood  begin  to  move  again  in  her  veins. 
Luka  Antonovitch,  having  made  the  first  re- 
cognition of  her  presence,  paid  no  further  at- 
tention to  her  and  went  on  composedly  with 
his  meal.  She  waited  till  she  could  more  fully 
control  her  voice  and  then  spoke  to  him. 

"Is  it  really  you,  Luka  Antonovitch!"  she 
demanded  tremulously.  "Where  is  Praskovia 
Egorovna?  Why  have  you  taken  her  away?" 
The  man  turned  his  haggard  face  toward  her 
and  she  could  see  that  the  dull  fire  of  his  pos- 
session still  burned  in  his  heavy  eyes. 

"I  have  taken  her  where  she  will  not  be  dis- 
turbed," he  said  sullenly.  The  sound  of  his 
voice  broke  wholesomely  in  on  the  glamour  of 
unreality  which  her  dread  had  raised  about  him 
and  she  felt  her  fear  of  him  fall  suddenly  away. 
Without  a  qualm  she  went  across  to  him  and 
laid  her  hand  appealingly  on  his  arm. 

"Why  will  you  not  let  me  see  her?"  she  said 
pleadingly.  "You  can  not  have  forgotten  how 
I  have  been  her  friend!"  He  did  not  answer 
for  the  moment  but  sat  looking  at  her  with  sus- 
picious eyes. 

"You   know   that   Kovya   Egorovna  is   not 


20  HIS  WIFE 

dead?"  he  said  abruptly.  There  was  so  much 
of  challenge  in  his  tone  that  Akoulina  Fe- 
dosyevna  instinctively  understood. 

"Why  should  I  doubt  it?"  she  said,  though 
her  voice  shook  so  that  it  belied  her  words. 
Luka  Antonovitch  found  evident  satisfaction 
in  her  answer,  though  he  still  looked  at  her  with 
questioning  eyes. 

"You  are  sure?"  he  persisted. 

"Yes,  I  am  sure,"  she  answered;  and  this 
time  her  voice  was  fairly  steady  and  she  forced 
herself  to  look  him  squarely  in  the  eyes.  He 
nodded  gravely  as  if  pleased  with  the  reply. 

"Very  well,"  he  said,  "when  I  am  fed,  I  will 
show  you  where  she  is."  She  nursed  her  pa- 
tience till  the  meal  was  done,  afraid  to  hurry 
him,  lest  an  ill-advised  word  should  lead  to  the 
withdrawal  of  his  hardly  won  consent.  He 
finished,  though,  at  last,  and  rose  from  his 
place. 

"Come,"  he  said,  and  strode  to  the  entrance 
door.  He  paused  there  for  a  moment  to  make 
sure  that  no  one  was  in  sight,  and  then  slipped 
quietly  out  and  along  the  south  wall  of  the 
house  and  so  through  the  gate  of  the  stockade, 
the  woman  at  all  times  following  close  behind. 


THE  GOING  21 

He  skirted  the  fence  to  the  northern  angle  and 
then,  after  a  quick  look  around  to  assure  him- 
self that  they  were  not  observed,  increased 
his  speed  almost  to  a  run,  and  plunged  across 
the  open  space  to  the  nearest  fringe  of  trees. 
Once  there,  he  stopped  and,  turning  on  Akou- 
lina  Fedosyevna  almost  savagely,  gripped  her 
tightly  by  both  arms. 

"You  are  sure!"  he  demanded  fiercely. 

"Yes,"  she  panted,  and,  between  her  excite- 
ment and  her  fear,  her  voice  was  almost  a 
scream.  He  was  content  with  the  answer  and 
let  her  go,  and  waited  patiently  till  she  could 
get  her  breath.  Then  they  went  on  in  the 
shadow  of  the  trees,  taking  a  path  that  grad- 
ually led  them  to  the  higher  ground.  It  was 
not  so  dark  but  she  could  see  him  easily  there 
before  her  in  the  way,  but  only  once  again  did 
she  speak  to  him  before  the  journey  found  its 
end.  He  turned  from  time  to  time  to  see  if  she 
were  still  behind,  and  on  one  of  these  occasions 
she  mustered  courage  to  propound  to  him  the 
question  which  from  the  beginning  had  been 
trembling  on  her  tongue. 

"Praskovia  Egorovna,"  she  said;  "has  she 
wakened  yet?"  He  stopped  short  as  if  he  had 


22  HIS  WIFE 

been  struck  and  came  back  till  he  stood  close 
to  her,  with  something  that  was  almost  menace 
in  his  look.  But  her  eyes  met  hia  fearlessly 
and  after  a  moment  the  bitterness  went  out  of 
his  glance  and  he  stepped  farther  back. 

"I  forgot  that  you  believe  she  is  alive,"  he 
said  gently.  Then  recollecting  the  question, 
he  answered  it  frankly  and  without  delay. 
"No,"  he  said,  "she  has  not  wakened — but  in 
the  night,  last  night,  I  heard  her  speak." 
Akoulina  Fedosyevna  felt  her  heart  go  out  to 
him  in  his  loneliness,  but  she  feared  to  question 
him  further  in  his  present  mood.  He  waited 
till  he  was  sure  she  had  no  more  to  ask  him  and 
then  started  on,  leaving  her  to  follow  as  before. 

They  came  at  last  to  an  open  space  with  a 
great  stream  of  white  across  it  like  a  fan. 
Akoulina  Fedosyevna  recognized  it  as  the  dead 
glacier  which  ran  back  like  a  river  up  between 
the  hills  behind  the  post.  The  strange  journey 
continued  till  they  came  to  its  very  edge,  and 
then  Luka  Antonovitch  halted  and  turned  to 
his  companion  with  a  smile. 

"This  is  the  place,"  he  said  quietly.  "Wait 
here  a  moment  till  I  come. J '  Without  stopping 
for  her  reply,  he  swung  himself  down  into  an 


THE  GOING  23 

adjacent  gnlly,  passed  round  a  projecting  wall 
of  rock,  and  disappeared  apparently  into  the 
face  of  the  ice-bank  itself. 

He  was  back  almost  at  once,  and  beckoned 
her  to  come.  He  did  not  offer  to  assist  her  and 
she  scrambled  as  well  as  she  could  down  the 
shaly  slope.  Between  the  exertion  and  the  ex- 
citement, her  heart  was  beating  like  a  ham- 
mer as  she  passed  round  the  barrier  of  rock 
and  found  herself  in  a  wider  space  beyond. 

The  chamber  was  formed  partly  by  the  hol- 
low in  the  bank,  but  some  force  of  nature  had 
further  eaten  out  the  side  of  the  glacier  itself 
so  that  there  was  an  opening  in  it  like  a  little 
room.  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  looked  for  her 
companion  and  saw  him  on  his  knees  by  the 
farther  inner  wall.  At  the  same  moment  she 
discovered  Praskovia  Egorovna  and  knew  that 
her  search  was  at  an  end. 

Either  because  it  was  the  most  secret  place 
he  knew  of,  or,  as  is  more  probable,  because  be- 
neath the  fixed  idea  of  his  possession  there 
lingered  the  fear  that  after  all  she  might  be 
really  dead,  Luka  Antonovitch  had  made  rare 
choice  and  had  brought  his  wife  to  the  one 
haven  where,  alive  or  dead,  he  could  keep  her 


24  HIS  WIFE 

during  his  own  pleasure  most  securely  for  him- 
self. He  had  established  her  in  the  innermost 
corner  of  the  place,  laying  her  in  state  on  a  nar- 
row shelf  of  ice.  He  was  talking  to  her  as  if 
he  had  no  doubt  but  she  could  hear,  but 
Aioulina  Fedosyevna  required  no  evidence  out- 
side of  sight  to  know  that  the  woman  was  be- 
yond all  human  help. 

The  horror  of  the  thing,  and  the  pity  of  it, 
took  hold  of  her  with  overwhelming  force  and 
she  stood  gazing  dumbly  at  the  tragedy  before 
her,  without  the  power  either  to  move  forward 
or  to  go  away.  Suddenly  the  kneeling  man  re- 
membered that  he  had  brought  her  in  and 
turned  and  looked  at  her  with  a  gaze  so  trench- 
antly compelling  that  she  forgot  her  confusion 
in  her  desire  to  do  exactly  the  thing  which  he 
seemed  to  wish. 

With  a  quick  indrawing  of  her  breath,  she 
went  forward  and  came  to  him,  taking  her  place 
so  close  to  the  dead  woman  that  she  could  have 
touched  her,  had  she  wished.  Luka  Antono- 
vitch  kept  his  eyes  steadily  upon  her  and 
waited  impatiently  for  her  to  speak.  She 
strove  to  think  of  something  that  would  not 
belie  too  harshly  his  belief  that  the  inanimate 


THE  GOING  25 

clay  before  them  still  held  its  soul,  and  yet 
within  such  distance  of  the  truth  that  her  face 
should  not  betray  her  as  she  said  it.  Yet  the 
truth  was  too  real  and  dreadful  to  be  abso- 
lutely set  aside  and,  in  her  perplexity,  she 
avoided  the  real  issue  and  spoke  to  one  less 
vital  and  germane. 

"You  have  indeed  done  much,"  she  began 
tremulously,  "but,  for  recovery,  will  Praskovia 
Egorovna  not  need  many  things  you  can  not 
give  her  here?"  She  put  out  her  hand  and 
laid  it  compassionately  against  the  dead 
woman's  cheek,  but  Luka  Antonovitch  resented 
the  contact,  and  lifting  the  hand  set  it  jealously 
aside. 

"She  will  need  nothing  more  until  she 
wakes,"  he  declared  obstinately.  In  her  ex- 
citement, Akoulina  Fedosyevna  forgot  her  fear 
of  him  and  took  hold  with  both  hands  upon  his 
arm. 

"But  what  if  she  never  wakes!"  she  cried 
sharply.  "Why  do  you  shut  your  eyes  against 
the  truth!  She  is  dead,  Laka  Antonovitch. 
You  can  not  but  know  that  she  is  dead ! ' '  Her 
earnestness  had  at  least  so  much  of  effect  upon 
him  that  he  did  not  at  once  fly  into  a  rage.  He 


26  HIS  WIFE 

looked  at  her  and  then  at  his  wife,  passing  his 
hand  confusedly  across  his  eyes,  as  if  he  did 
not  fully  understand.  Then,  with  rare  tender- 
ness, he  bent  and  pushed  back  the  hair  from 
around  the  dead  woman's  face,  and  with  his 
hand  held  protectingly  against  her  head,  as  if 
in  reassurance,  looked  around  at  Akoulina 
Fedosyevna  with  his  melancholy  smile. 

"She  is  not  dead  to  me,"  he  said  simply. 
"You  know  she  spoke  to  me  last  night."  But 
Akoulina  Fedosyevna  would  not  be  turned 
aside. 

"It  was  her  spirit,  then,"  she  cried.  "And 
that  might  be,  for  this  is  only  the  second  day. 
But  after  to-morrow,  Luka  Antonovitch,  even 
that  will  be  gone  and  what  shall  you  do  then?" 

"She  will  not  go,"  he  declared  defiantly. 
"Until  I  am  ready,  I  shall  hold  her  here." 

She  looked  at  him  with  growing  horror  in  her 
face. 

"Would  you  then  make  her  lose  her  peace  for 
all  eternity?"  she  demanded.  "Remember 
that  if  she  is  to  have  her  place  in  Heaven,  to- 
morrow she  must  be  free  to  go  for  the  first  time 
before  God." 

"But  she  is  not  dead  I"  he  broke  out  testily, 


THE  GOING  27 

and  all  her  efforts  left  him  still  bound  to  the 
one  thought.  She  urged  the  case  with  tears 
and  pleading  and  more  than  once  uncorked  the 
vials  of  her  wrath.  But  to  prayers  and  pro- 
testation alike  he  remained  deaf,  and  at  length 
the  strain  of  the  struggle  hent  her  to  the  break- 
ing and  she  suddenly  let  him  go. 

"It  is  too  much!"  she  cried.  "I  can  not 
bear  it.  God  will  judge  you,  Luka  Antono- 
vitch ;  and  if  I  understand  Him,  as  I  think,  He 
will  not  be  as  lenient  as  I."  He  did  not  even 
answer  her,  but  began  talking  in  a  low  tone  to 
his  wife.  Bhe  saw  that  for  the  moment,  at 
least,  he  had  forgotten  her  again,  and,  heart- 
sick at  the  futility  of  beating  thus  against  a 
wall,  she  threw  up  her  hands  with  a  despairing 
gesture  and  fled  unsteadily  out  into  the  night. 

Yet  so  much  impressed  was  Akoulina  Fe- 
dosyevna  with  the  sincerity  of  purpose  which 
underlay  Luka  Antonovitch's  conduct  toward 
his  wife  that  she  shrank  instinctively  from  tell- 
ing the  story  of  it  to  her  husband,  lest  he 
should  counsel  the  taking  of  Praskovia 
Egorovna  away  by  force.  But  the  comman- 
dant simplj  shrugged  his  shoulders  when  he 
heard. 


28  HIS  WIFE 

"Our  cunning  must  be  like  to  his,"  he  said. 
"Leave  it  to  me  and  I  shall  find  a  way."  He 
took  no  immediate  action  other  than  to  post  4a 
sentry  at  the  place  so  that,  without  his  know- 
ledge, no  further  flitting  should  be  made.  But 
the  next  evening,  when  hunger  drove  the  de- 
mented fugitive  to  leave  his  refuge  and  return 
to  the  house  at  the  gate  for  further  food,  the 
commandant  seized  his  opportunity  and  took 
the  body  from  the  place  and  brought  it  secretly 
to  his  house. 

He  looked  for  trouble  when  Luka  Antono- 
vitch,  returning,  should  make  certain  of  his 
loss.  But  to  his  astonishment,  the  man  went 
down  into  his  chamber  in  the  ice  and  there  re- 
mained, making  no  sign  that  he  had  found 
things  other  than  they  were.  And  so,  with- 
out interruption,  they  buried  Praskovia 
Egorovna  in  the  night,  and  Akoulina  Fe- 
dosyevna  saw  to  it  that  she  had  proper  prayers. 

Next  day  at  noon  the  bereaved  man  appeared 
unexpectedly  at  the  great  house  and  asked  for 
the  commandant's  wife  by  name. 

"You  were  right,"  he  said  abruptly,  when 
she  had  come.  "Praskovia  Egorovna  has  gone 
away.''  The  greeting  was  so  different  from 


THE  GOING  29 

the  whirlwind  of  reproach  which  she  had 
reason  to  expect,  that  it  left  Akoulina  Fedosy- 
evna  uncertain  what  to  say. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do!'*  she  stam- 
mered. 

"I  shall  stay  at  the  house  at  the  gate  and 
wait  till  she  returns,"  he  answered.  "Where 
is  the  child?" 

"She  is  here  and  well,"  she  answered. 
"But  let  me  keep  her,  Luka  Antonovitch. 
Surely,  with  no  woman  in  the  house,  it  would 
be  better  for  her  here." 

"No,"  he  said,  with  the  obstinate  setting  of 
his  jaw  she  had  come  to  understand.  "I  shall 
need  her  myself  about  the  house,  and  it  would 
not  be  right  that  she  should  be  away  when 
Praskovia  Egorovna  returns." 

Akoulina  Fedosyevna  submitted  gracefully, 
and  Luka  Antonovitch  took  the  girl  away.  He 
settled  down  quietly  in  his  lonely  house  and  be- 
gan to  draw  together,  with  such  skill  as  he 
could,  the  raveled  strands  of  his  old  family  life. 
It  was  a  joyless  task  and  hard,  and  went 
more  slowly  that  there  always  stayed  with  him 
the  fixed  idea,  which  was  a  form  of  madness, 
that  though  his  wife  was  gone  she  would  as 


30  HIS  WIFE 

certainly  come  back.  He  entered  without  mur- 
mur upon  his  work  and  performed  with  brute- 
like  faithfulness  the  tasks  that  he  was  set. 

But  there  were  days  when  the  wild  ferment 
in  his  brain  stirred  him  beyond  control,  so  that 
he  forgot  the  duty  at  his  hand,  and  wandered 
out  into  the  nooks  and  corners  of  the  settlement 
in  pathetic  search  of  the  woman  who  did  not 
come.  And  these  seizures  grew  upon  him  till 
one  day  when  the  west-going  packet  was  about 
to  sail,  he  came  to  Akoulina  Fedosyevna,  lead- 
ing Sara  Lukievna  by  the  hand. 

' '  Take  her, ' '  he  said,  '  *  and  care  for  her  till  I 
come  again.  I  have  had  a  message.  Praskovia 
Egorovna  is  yonder  on  the  other  side,  and  I  am 
going  there  to  bring  her  home." 

When  the  time  came  for  parting,  he  took 
Sara  Lukievna  in  his  arms  and  held  her  tight 
against  his  breast. 

"Do  not  cry,"  he  said,  and  bent  his  black 
curls  down  against  her  hair.  "It  will  not  be 
for  long,  and  I  am  leaving  you  that  you  may 
keep  the  house  so  that  your  mother  will  find  it 
as  she  left  it  when  she  went  away."  But  the 
girl,  without  his  disability  to  make  her  blind, 
saw  little  promise  of  his  swift  return,  and  clung 


THE  GOING  31 

in  an  agony  of  desolation  to  this  one  person 
who  alone  belonged  to  her  in  life.  Lnka 
Strukof  warmed  responsively  to  her  demon- 
strations and  for  a  moment  held  her  tight. 
Then  with  a  curions  return  of  impassivity,  he 
loosened  the  clasp  of  her  hands  and  set  her 
firmly  to  one  side.  She  made  no  attempt  to 
follow  him,  but  stood,  a  desolate  little  figure, 
with  hands  clasped  and  eyes  that  refused  to 
weep,  and  watched  him  as  he  took  his  place 
with  the  others  in  the  boat  and  was  rowed 
swiftly  down  the  river  to  where  the  packet  was 
anchored  at  its  mouth.  She  did  not  move  or 
make  a  sign  till  he  had  passed  entirely  from  her 
sight,  and  then,  without  a  word,  she  fled  blindly 
to  the  house  at  the  gate  and  shut  herself  up  in 
her  dead  mother's  room.  And  that  was  the  last 
that  was  seen  of  Luka  Strukof  in  Kussilof  for 
more  than  two  long  years. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  BETTTRN" 

But  he  did  come  back  again.  No  one  knew  of 
his  intention  and  his  return  was  a  surprise.  It 
came  afterward,  as  a  curious  thing,  to  Pavel 
Pavelovitch  that  the  man  had  been  unexpect- 
edly in  his  thought  on  the  very  morning  that 
he  reappeared.  Some  years  bring  with  them 
so  much  of  trouble  that  they  seem  to  have  held 
more  than  their  just  span  of  days,  and  the 
commandant,  lying  in  his  bed  at  daybreak  of 
that  day,  and  ruminating  on  the  months  which 
had  passed  since  Luka  Strukof  went  away, 
had  realized  suddenly  that  the  stress  of  living 
them  had  made  him  old. 

"Why  could  he  not  have  waited  till  things 
were  better  placed?"  he  thought  resentfully, 
and  turned  toward  the  wall  so  that  he  should 
not  have  to  face  the  growing  light.  He  had 
found  no  man  skilled  enough  about  the  post  to 
take  Luka  Strukof 's  vacant  place,  and  the 
sense  of  injury  grew  in  him  as  he  remembered 
32 


THE  RETURN  33 

that  for  all  this  time  he  had  been  doing  double 
work. 

But  this  was  by  no  means  the  only  thing  that 
had  laid  a  burden  on  Pavel  Kolomin's  mind. 
He  could  not  yet  think  calmly  of  the  settlement 
at  St.  Nikolas  which  Grigory  Konovalof  was  so 
carefully  building  up.  Cook's  Inlet  was  hardly 
big  enough  for  two  such  posts  and  it  seemed  in- 
credible, if  the  Company  was  satisfied  with  his 
work,  that  they  had  sent  out  this  man  to  divide 
authority  with  him  and  balk  him  in  his  plans. 
And  then,  too,  there  was  their  new  blockhouse 
overlooking  his  own  ground!  The  thought  of 
it  was  too  much  for  the  commandant's  temper, 
and  he  sat  up  suddenly  and  glared  out  through 
the  window  to  where  across  the  river  he  could 
see  the  outline  of  the  building  well  begun. 

"Konovalof  shall  pay  for  this!"  he  cried, 
swinging  his  legs  out  savagely  on  to  the  floor. 
"It  was  bad  enough  to  have  him  twenty  miles 
away ! ' '  He  raised  his  fist  and  shook  it  angrily 
at  the  imaginary  foe  and  stopped  short  in  the 
middle  of  the  gesture,  for  there  was  a  sharp 
tapping  at  the  door  and  his  wife  came  in  upon 
him  without  waiting  for  the  word. 

She  was  resplendent  in  a  fresh  gown  of  green 


34  HIS  WIFE 

cotton  cloth  and  had  a  spray  of  clover  blossoms 
fastened  in  her  hair.  In  her  hand  she  held  a  lit- 
tle tray  of  wood  which  was  carefully  covered 
with  a  cloth.  She  swept  across  the  room  to  him 
in  an  eager  trot  and,  with  an  exclamation  of  joy 
which  had  in  it  a  mild  suggestion  of  reproof, 
wound  her  disengaged  arm  around  his  neck 
and,  pushing  back  his  night-cap,  kissed  him 
soundly  on  his  disheveled  head. 

"Ah,  Pavel,"  she  cried  in  her  precise  nasal 
speech,  "to  have  a  name-day  and  be  not  yet 
up!"  The  little  man  extricated  himself  dex- 
terously from  her  caress  and  passed  his  hand 
impatiently  across  his  hair. 

* l  What  day  is  it  ? "  he  demanded  in  bewilder- 
ment. Akoulina  Fedosyevna  stood  back  from 
him  with  a  shrill  cackle  of  scorn. 

"It  is  Peter  and  Paul's  day,  of  course,"  she 
said.  "The  day  you  chose  for  yourself  as 
name-day  when  you  were  confirmed."  Pavel 
Pavelovitch's  face  cleared  and  he  turned  to  his 
wife  with  affection  in  his  eyes. 

"So  it  is,  so  it  is!"  he  said  gently.  He  could 
not  at  once,  however,  throw  off  in  its  entirety 
the  burden  of  his  depression,  and  after  a  mo- 
ment his  glance  went  away  from  her  again  and 


THE  EETUKN  35 

out  through  the  window  as  before.  "I  wish 
the  people  over  there  would  give  me  a  little 
less  to  think  of  for  a  time,"  he  added  with  a 
sigh.  The  old  lady  made  an  impulsive  step 
forward,  as  if  she  contemplated  taking  him 
again  in  her  arms. 

"It  is  an  outrage,  that  place!"  she  cried  in- 
dignantly. "We  are  not  here  wrongly  that  we 
should  he  watched  like  thieves!"  Pavel  Pavel- 
ovitch  did  not  even  look  around. 

"You  do  not  know  what  tales  may  have  been 
sent  to  Lebidef , ' '  he  said  quietly,  * '  and  it  is  not 
right  to  blame  him  till  we  know  the  grounds  for 
his  complaint.  Konovalof  says  the  Company 
has  given  him  control.  It  is  only  because  he 
does  not  show  me  his  authority  that  I  will  not 
recognize  his  right."  She  did  not  answer  and 
continued  to  look  out  the  window  as  before. 
Then  with  a  shrug  of  patient  resignation,  he 
turned  to  her  with  a  smile. 

"What  is  it  you  have  there?"  he  asked, 
pointing  to  the  tray.  Akoulina  Fedosyevna 
promptly  covered  the  enveloping  napkin  with  a 
protecting  hand.  Her  smile  came  back  and 
she  was  again  the  radiant  creature  she  had 
been  when  she  came  in. 


36  HIS  WIFE 

"Oh,"  she  said  archly,  "it  is  a  surprise! 
But  it  was  Sara  did  it,  and  I  am  not  to  let  you 
see  till  she  is  here.  You  must  dress  quickly 
that  she  may  show  you  when  she  comes." 
Pavel  Pavelovitch  yawned  and  began  to  fum- 
ble at  the  strings  of  his  cap.  Akoulina  Fe- 
dosyevna  set  down1  her  burden  on  the  table  and, 
going  to  the  window,  hurriedly  turned  her  back. 

"I  shall  not  look,"  she  said  primly.  The  old 
man  sniffed  contemptuously  and  proceeded 
with  exasperating  deliberation  to  draw  on  his 
clothes.  His  wife  remained  where  she  was  and 
when  he  had  finished  she  was  gazing  out  toward 
the  river  with  such  utterly  absorbed  attention 
that  she  did  not  hear  him  as  he  went  to  her  and 
laid  his  hand  upon  her  arm. 

"What  is  it  that  you  see?"  he  said.  Akou- 
lina Fedosyevna  gave  a  little  scream  of  dismay 
and,  seizing  him  by  the  arms,  pushed  him 
hastily  back. 

"You  must  not  look!"  she  cried.  "It  is 
part  of  the  surprise."  The  commandant  let 
her  have  her  way  and  she  convoyed  him  to  the 
middle  of  the  room. 

"What  treason  are  you  plotting  with  those 
people  over  there?"  he  said,  drawing  down  his 


THE  RETURN  37 

brows  with  a  studied  assumption  of  severity. 
Akoulina  Fedosyevna  scornfully  tossed  her 
head. 

"Those  people?  It  is  not  those,"  she  cried. 
' '  I  would  not  touch  them  with  a  stick ! ' ' 

"But  Sara  Lukievna  would  and  you  said  it 
was  her  surprise." 

"Sara  Lukievna  would  not,"  she  retorted 
sharply.  "It  is  a  slander,  Pavel.  You  will 
have  to  have  a  button  sewed  on  your  mouth. ' ' 

"For  all  that,"  he  rejoined  hotly,  "I  saw  her 
talking  with  two  of  them  from  there  last  night. ' ' 
The  old  lady  opened  her  mouth  to  contradict, 
but  a  second  thought  came  to  her.  She  stopped 
and  looked  at  Pavel  Pavelovitch  with  a  sudden 
comprehension  in  her  glance. 

"Ah,  that  then  is  how  she  got  the  news!" 
she  said  triumphantly. 

"What  news?"  Akoulina  Fedosyevna 's  face 
became  suddenly  sphinx-like  and  she  shook  her 
finger  reprovingly  at  him  as  she  spoke. 

"You  should  not  want  to  ask,"  she  said.  "It 
is  part  of  the  surprise. ' ' 

"Well,  be  quick  about  this  surprise  or  my 
patience  will  not  last,"  declared  the  com- 
mandant warningly.  The  old  lady  could  not 


38  HIS  WIFE 

resist  the  opportunity  of  delivering  the  last 
word. 

"There  it  is!"  she  cried  and  lifted  up  her 
hands.  "You  do  not  try  to  hurry  and  so  what 
can  we  do?"  She  did  not  wait  for  an  answer 
hut  trotted  animatedly  to  the  door  and,  opening 
it  a  little,  thrust  her  head  through  and  called 
vigorously  aloud. 

"Come  at  once,  Sara,"  she  said,  "and  he 
careful  with  the  things."  The  girl  must  have 
heen  listening  for  the  summons,  for  almost  on 
the  word  she  appeared  on  the  threshold  and 
came  in,  carrying  a  load  of  dishes  and  other 
necessaries  for  the  morning  meal. 

The  two  years  of  her  father's  absence  had 
worked  in  her  a  startling  change.  She  had 
shot  up  to  full  woman's  height  and  was  long 
and  colty,  and  so  slim  that  her  figure  seemed  al- 
most unsteady  as  she  walked.  But  she  had  her 
father's  eyes  and  his  high,  fine  carriage  of  the 
head  and  there  was  in  her  expression  an  en- 
gaging air  of  frankness  that  belied  the  physi- 
cal evidences  of  her  immaturity  and  spoke  her 
as  being  on  friendly  terms  with  herself  and  life. 
She  advanced  briskly  to  the  table  and,  deposit- 
ing the  things  which  she  held,  went  at  once  to 


THE  BETURN  39 

Pavel  Pavelovitch  and,  setting  her  hands  on 
his  shoulders,  put  up  her  face  to  be  kissed. 

"Good  greeting,  little  father,"  she  said 
breathlessly.  "Is  it  not  splendid  on  your 
name-day  just  to  be  alive?  We  are  to  break- 
fast here  by  ourselves  and  you  are  to  have 
curds  and  a  pie  with  poppy  seeds,  and  four 
little  cucumbers  that  came  from  the  house  at 
the  gate.  Vassili  Balin  raised  them  under  fish- 
skin  frames.  He  has  no  imagination,  though, 
and  declared  they  should  be  left  till  they  were 
big.  But  after  I  had  picked  them  and  he 
learned  they  were  for  you,  he  was  reconciled 
and  sent  you  with  them  a  good  wish."  She 
fluttered  away  from  him  without  waiting  for 
an  answer,  moved  out  the  table  and  fairly 
danced  around  it  in  her  impatient  haste. 
Akoulina  Fedosyevna  helped  her  with  her  task 
and  under  their  skilled  manipulation  the  cloth 
was  soon  laid  and  the  covers  set  in  neat  and 
orderly  array.  The  commandant  watched  the 
process  with  much  interest  and  nodded  with 
grave  approval  when  the  final  touch  went  on. 

"But  why  have  you  set  for  four?"  he  said. 
"Is  there  some  one  yet  to  come?"  Akoulina 
Fedosyevna 's  eyes  went  to  those  of  the  younger 


40  HIS  WIFE 

woman  in  a  swift  significant  glance,  and  in  a 
sort  of  panic  she  whirled  around,  pounced  on 
Pavel  Pavelovitch's  bed,  rolled  it  up  hurriedly 
and  set  about  carrying  it  from  the  room.  She 
paused,  though,  before  she  left  the  chamber 
long  enough  to  say: 

'  *  You  must  ask  Sara  that.  It  is  perhaps  the 
young  man  from  across  the  river  she  was  talk- 
ing with  last  night. ' '  The  girl  flushed  redly  at 
the  unexpected  accusation  and  turned  to  her 
adopted  father  with  a  scornful  uplift  of  her 
head. 

"So  you  had  to  tell  her!"  she  said  with  an 
airy  show  of  sarcasm  in  her  voice.  "Just  be- 
cause you  saw  it,  you  could  not  keep  it  to  your- 
self!" The  old  man's  hand  went  up  to  his 
mouth  and  he  cleared  his  throat  deprecatingly, 
as  he  tried  to  meet  her  glance.  But  he  did  not 
come  to  his  explanation,  for  before  he  could 
rightly  arrange  his  speech  there  was  a  sudden 
outcry  in  the  house  outside  and  Akoulina  Fe- 
dosyevna  burst  back  into  the  room  and,  rush- 
ing at  Sara  Lukievna,  caught  her  agitatedly  in 
her  arms. 

"Sara!"  she  cried,  "Sara!  There  is  other 
news!"  The  girl  was  visibly  startled,  but  she 


THE  RETURN  41 

put  her  arms  about  the  excited  woman  and 
strove  to  calm  her  to  connected  speech. 

"What  is  it,  matiushka!"  she  said  gently. 
' '  Has  the  boat  after  all,  then,  failed  to  come  ? ' J 

"No,  no,"  returned  the  other  solemnly.  "It 
is  a  new  surprise — one  for  you  alone.  Your 
father  has  returned  and  has  sent  for  you  to 
come."  The  color  went  out  of  Sara  Lukievna's 
face  and  she  looked  at  her  foster  mother  in  a 
kind  of  dazed  bewilderment. 

"My  father!"  she  repeated  slowly.  "My 
father!"  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  clung  to  her 
with  sobs  and  lamentations,  but,  after  the  first 
moment  of  astonishment,  the  girl  collected  her- 
self with  a  rare  effort  at  equanimity,  though  she 
could  not  hide  the  uneasiness  which  looked  fur- 
tively out  of  her  eyes. 

"Where  is  he!"  she  asked  unsteadily. 

"At  the  house  at  the  gate.  He  sent  Vassili 
Balin  to  bring  the  news."  The  girl  unwound 
herself  from  Akoulina  Fedosyevna 's  detaining 
embrace  and  went  to  Pavel  Pavelovitch  and  put 
her  arms  affectionately  around  his  neck. 

"You  will  always  seem  as  much  of  a  father 
to  me  as  my  real  father,"  she  said  wistfully. 
"I  must  go  to  him  if  he  has  really  come,  but  I 


42  HIS  WIFE 

wish  I  could  stay  here  long  enough  for  the  sur- 
prise we  had  planned  for  you  to-day/'  She 
let  her  hands  fall  and  turned  to  Akoulina  Fe- 
dosyevna,  the  tears  gathering  in  her  eyes. 

"Let  me  tell  him  now,"  she  pleaded.  "I 
want  to  have  that  much  of  it  hefore  I  go." 
The  old  lady  sniffed  with  visible  sympathy  and 
waved  a  magnanimous  assent. 

"Go  on,"  she  said.  "It  would  be  but  a  little 
time,  anyway,  before  he  knew!"  The  girl's 
face  brightened  and  she  turned  again  to  the  old 
man. 

"Little  father,"  she  cried,  "what  is  it  you 
have  been  wishing  for  most  these  last  three 
weeks?  What  is  that  you  would  ask  for  most 
to-day?"  The  commandant's  face  lit  up  with 
an  almost  childish  glow  of  anticipation. 

"Not  Thoma!"  he  half  whispered.  "The 
ship  is  not  yet  come?" 

"Yes,  it  is  come,  though  it  went  on  to  St. 
Nikolas,  because  that  is  the  larger  place. 
Thoma  has  to  come  back  from  there  by  boat.  I 
had  it  from  the  man  across  the  river  that  he 
would  be  here  to-day."  Pavel  Pavelovitch 
gave  a  wild  shout  of  joy  and  seized  the  girl  ex- 
citedly in  his  arms. 


THE  RETURN  43 

"My  son!"  he  cried.  "It  is  indeed  a  good 
surprise."  He  let  her  go,  though,  almost  at 
once  and  with  increasing  agitation  seized  upon 
his  wife.  "Why  do  we  wait!"  he  cried.  "Let 
us  go  out  and  meet  him  as  he  comes!"  The 
two  women  fastened  simultaneously  upon  him 
and  strove  to  hold  him  back. 

"You  must  be  patient,  Pavel,"  said  Akoulina 
Fedosyevna.  "The  boat  has  not  yet  come  in 
sight.  We  have  set  Masha  to  watch  and  she 
will  tell  us  the  first  moment  it  is  seen."  The 
commandant  ran  abstractedly  to  the  window, 
and  began  searching  each  portion  of  the  river 
with  his  eyes.  The  two  women  followed  him, 
and  seeing  that  his  attention  was  wholly  taken, 
Sara  Lukievna  took  hold  of  him  with  a  sudden 
burst  of  tears. 

"You  have  forgotten  me  already,"  she  cried. 
"When  Thoma  comes,  you  will  care  for  him 
more  than  you  do  for  me ! ' '  Pavel  Pavelovitch 
turned  instantly,  and  put  his  hand  lovingly  on 
her  shoulder. 

"It  is  my  son  who  comes  to  me  after  seven 
years,"'"'  he  said  with  gentle  gravity.  "But  you 
are  no  less  my  daughter,  and  I  trust  God  will 
never  let  you  pass  out  of  my  heart."  Sara 


44  HIS  WIFE 

Lukievna's  self-control  gave  way  completely 
and  she  broke  into  violent  sobbing  and  hid  her 
face  in  his  neck.  He  drew  her  close  and  patted 
her  shoulder  sympathetically  with  his  hand, 
but  finding  that  she  could  not  gain  again  her 
self-control,  she  resisted  and  pushed  back. 

* '  Let  me  go ! "  she  cried  wildly  and  shook  her- 
self free  from  his  embrace.  Then,  without  a 
word  to  either  one,  she  covered  her  face  with 
her  hands,  and  ran  swiftly  from  the  room. 
They  heard  her  footsteps  echo  as  she  .passed 
through  the  house  and  a  moment  later  saw  her 
from  the  window,  moving  swiftly  across  the 
open  ground  on  her  way  to  the  house  at  the 
gate. 

She  slowed  her  pace  and  dried  her  eyes  be- 
fore coming  to  the  place  and  so  was  more  col- 
lected when  she  reached  it  and  found  her  father 
standing  in  the  door.  She  stopped  short  when 
she  saw  him  and  her  heart  began  to  beat  so  that 
she  could  feel  it  strike  against  her  breast. 
Luka  Antonovitch  was  in  some  sort  of  reverie 
and  stood  with  his  hands  pressed  tightly  to- 
gether, so  that  he  did  not  hear  her  as  she  came, 
and  the  girl  had  time  fully  to  take  note  of  him 
before  she  made  her  presence  known. 


THE  RETURN  45 

Absence  had  brought  small  change  in  his 
former  looks.  He  had  still  the  tall,  straight 
figure  of  a  young  and  active  man,  though  the 
trouble  of  the  days  since  she  had  seen  him  had 
streaked  his  hair  with  gray  and  set  deep  lines 
about  his  mouth  and  eyes.  His  dress  was  neat 
and  his  long  boots  were  as  carefully  creased 
about  the  ankles  as  in  the  days  before  her 
mother's  death. 

Her  heart  went  out  to  him,  in  spite  of  the 
vague  fear  which  for  the  moment  had  held  her 
to  the  spot.  With  a  certain  accession  of  cour- 
age, she  pulled  herself  together  and  went  for- 
ward to  where  he  stood.  The  noise  of  her 
coming  roused  him  from  his  reverie  and  he 
dropped  his  hands  and  turned  to  her  with  the 
confused  look  of  one  who  suddenly  awakes  from 
sleep.  He  recognized  her  at  once  and  bent  to 
her  with  a  tenderness  which  transfigured  his 
whole  face. 

''How  you  have  grown,  child!"  he  said  won- 
deringly.  "I  have  thought  about  you  much 
in  the  days  I  have  been  gone;  but  all  the  time 
you  came  to  me  only  as  the  little  girl  you  were 
when  I  went  away."  She  had  forgotten  the 
caressing  tenderness  that  was  a  quality  of  his 


46  HIS  WIFE 

voice,  and,  hearing  it  now  thus  suddenly  again, 
the  appeal  in  it  shook  her  self-control.  With 
wild  abandon  she  seized  hold  upon  him  and 
hid  her  face  against  his  breast. 

"Oh,  why  did  you  stay  away  from  me  so 
long?"  she  cried. 

"Surely  you  know  the  reason,"  he  said 
gravely.  '  *  I  thought  to  find  your  mother  there 
on  the  other  side  and  bring  her  back." 

"But  you  did  not!"  broke  in  the  girl  pro- 
testingly.  "You  could  not!"  Luka  Antono- 
vitch's  face  lighted  with  his  enigmatic  smile 
and  he  stroked  her  hair  caressingly  for  a  mo- 
ment before  he  spoke. 

"That  is  with  God,"  he  said  finally.  "He 
alone  knows  how  far  they  were  the  same. ' '  The 
strangeness  of  the  answer  woke  Sara  Lukievna 
to  alarmed  question  and  she  lifted  up  her  head. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  asked  breath- 
lessly. The  man's  face  sobered  and  his  cheeks 
reddened  with  a  sudden  flush. 

"It  was  only  in  spirit.  I  know  it  was  only 
that,"  he  said,  speaking  hurriedly,  as  if  the 
thing  was  something  concerning  which  there 
had  been  debate.  "But  when  you  see  her,  I 
think  you,  too,  will  understand. ' ' 


THE  RETURN  47 

' '  See  whom  ? ' '  cried  the  girl  sharply. 

"Your  mother.  Come,  I  will  take  you  to  her 
now.'*  He  loosened  her  arms  and  set  her  back 
from  him,  and,  grasping  her  by  the  hand,  be- 
gan to  draw  her  after  him  into  the  house. 

The  thing  which  he  proposed  was  so  fantas- 
tic and  improbable  that  Sara  Lukievna  could 
not  believe  that  he  was  in  sane  mind.  A  heart- 
sick fear  of  what  he  might  be  going  to  do  to  her 
swept  over  her  like  a  flood,  and,  as  he  started  to 
go  in,  she  braced  herself  and  pulled  sharply 
back.  Luka  Antonovitch  paid  small  attention 
to  her  disinclination,  and,  as  if  she  were  still 
the  child  that  he  remembered,  swept  her  along 
after  him  through  the  house  to  what  had  before 
been  her  mother's  room.  At  the  threshold  of 
the  open  door  he  paused. 

"Lisa,"  he  called,  "are  you  there?"  A 
woman  who  was  lying  on  the  bed  against  the 
farther  wall  stirred  at  the  question,  and  got 
hurriedly  to  her  feet. 

"Why,  Luka,"  she  said,  "are  you  come  back? 
I  thought  you  had  gone  to  the  commandant's  to 
fetch  the  child."  Her  voice  was  full  and  deep 
and  had  a  curious  vibrant  thrill.  She  paid  no 
attention  to  Sara  Lukievna,  but  came  swiftly 


48  HIS  WIFE 

across  to  Luka  Antonovitch  and  put  her  hand 
upon  his  arm. 

"I  am  glad  that  you  came  hack,"  she  said, 
and  her  tone  was  like  a  caress.  Her  eyes  fixed 
themselves  on  his  with  a  compelling  effort  at 
appropriation,  and  she  leaned  her  face  out  to- 
ward him  with  the  dumb  affection  of  an  animal 
in  her  glance.  The  man,  however,  made  no  re- 
sponse in  kind.  His  eyes  avoided  hers  and 
lifting  her  hand  he  set  it  gently  from  his  arm. 

"This  is  the  child,"  he  said  with  some  con- 
straint. "I  have  spoken  with  her  and  she  will 
show  you  where  things  are  about  the  house." 

The  woman's  eyes  followed  his,  but  she  made 
no  effort  to  put  back  her  hand. 

"I  will  speak  with  her,  if  you  wish,"  she 
said  tremulously.  She  glanced  down  swiftly  at 
the  girl,  but  otherwise  did  not  stir  from  her 
position  and  remained  with  her  face  leaned  out 
and  her  eyes  fixed  on  his,  as  if  in  the  hope  that 
ultimately  her  advances  must  compel  from  him 
some  return  in  kind. 

But  if  this  was  her  purpose,  she  failed  of  her 
reward.  Luka  Antonovitch  stood  silent  for  a 
moment  and  did  not  look  at  her  at  all.  There 
was  nothing  of  anger  or  aversion  in  his  face, 


THE  EETURN  49 

but  he  seemed  bound  by  some  sort  of  conscious 
repression  which  prevented  him  for  the  time 
from  giving  way  to  what  he  felt. 

"Well,  I  will  leave  her  with  you  then,"  he 
said  finally.  He  balanced  uncertainly  on  his 
feet,  glanced  at  Sara  Lukievna  to  see  that  she 
had  understood,  and  still  avoiding  to  look  or 
to  speak  to  the  older  woman  at  his  side,  turned 
himself  about  and  went  out  into  the  other  room. 

The  woman  watched  his  departure  with  quiv- 
ering lips.  She  was  a  splendid  creature,  tall 
as  a  man,  with  black  hair  and  eyes  and  a  car- 
riage of  body  and  head  that  was  fairly  regal  in 
its  self-assumption.  She  was  like  a  goddess 
rather  than  a  woman,  and  her  divinity  sat  upon 
her  with  a  conscious  dignity  that  awed  to 
silence  the  girl  who,  during  the  colloquy  be- 
tween her  and  Luka  Antonovitch,  had  stood 
dumbly  by. 

The  woman  waited  with  the  same  tense  at- 
titude of  expectation  till  Luka  Antonovitch  was 
surely  gone.  Then  she  turned  to  Sara  Lu- 
kievna with  her  tragic  unhappiness  still  work- 
ing in  her  face.  The  gaze  she  bent  upon  the 
girl  was  searching  though  not  unkindly.  Sara 
Lukievna  shrank  before  it,  but  the  impulse  was 


50  HIS  WIFE 

rather  because  of  the  strength  of  the  woman's 
personality  which  lay  behind  her  glance  than 
because  the  attention  was  positively  unpleasant 
in  itself. 

"So  you  are  Sara,"  she  said  unsteadily. 
"You  are  older  and  not  what  I  thought  you 
would  be  from  what  your  father  said.  But  you 
are  enough  like  him  in  so  many  ways  that  I 
could  love  you  for  that  if  for  nothing  else.'* 
The  girl's  keen  astonishment,  together  with  an 
unreasoning  sense  of  anger  against  this  in- 
truder, who  had  so  unexpectedly  appeared  to 
claim  her  mother 's  place,  stirred  in  her  so  that, 
for  the  moment,  she  found  no  answer  ready  to 
her  hand. 

"Who  are  you?"  she  cried  at  last.  The 
woman's  face  changed  consciously  and  a  flush 
began  to  creep  up  in  her  cheeks. 

"You  should  ask  Luka  Antonovitch  to  an- 
swer that,"  she  said  slowly.  "Has  he  not  told 
you  that  I  am  your  mother  who  has  come 
again?" 

"But  you  are  not  my  mother !"  cried  the  girl 
with  a  vivid  gesture  of  dissent.  "My  mother 
is  dead  and  for  two  years  has  had  her  abiding 
place  with  God."  The  woman  inclined  her 


THE  RETURN  51 

head  and  signed  herself  with  the  sign  of  the 
cross. 

"May  He  give  her  there  for  ever  His  full 
peace,"  she  said  reverently.  "But  what  does 
it  matter,  after  all,  whether  I  am  Praskovia 
Egorovna  or  not?  I  am  here  in  her  place  and 
her  soul,  at  least,  is  so  far  in  me  that  I  have  no 
thought  but  to  be  what  she  was  both  to  Luka 
and  to  you."  She  moved  forward  impul- 
sively and  put  out  her  hand.  "You  will  not 
hinder  me  in  that?"  she  said  appealingly. 
"Surely  you  will  let  me  love  you  if  I  wish!" 
The  girl  shrank  back  before  her  advance  and 
there  was  no  responsive  softening  in  her  face. 

"I  do  not  know,"  she  said  coldly.  "There 
is  no  need  for  any  one  to  come  here  in  my 
mother's  place." 

"But  if  your  father  put  me  in  her  place — " 
broke  in  the  woman1  eagerly. 

"My  father  had  no  right!  It  is  a  wicked 
thing  that  he  should  so  forget."  The  woman's 
brows  drew  momentarily  together  into  a 
straight  black  line  and  she  lifted  her  head 
proudly  as  if  about  to  make  vigorous  answer  to 
the  charge.  But  there  was  sincere  desire  in 
her  to  make  friends  with  the  young  girl,  and, 


52  HIS  WIFE 

setting  her  annoyance  back,  she  spoke  again, 
though  with  less  calmness  than  before. 

' '  Forget ! "  she  cried.  ' '  Forget !  Child,  child, 
it  was  just  because  he  did  not  forget  that  you 
find  me  with  him  here ! ' ' 

"But  why  did  you  come?"  persisted  the  girl. 
"You  knew  it  was  not  true!"  The  woman's 
lip  trembled  and  she  drew  in  a  long  breath. 

"Yes,  I  did  know  it,"  she  admitted  bravely. 
"But  when  he  sought  me,  Luka  Antonovitch 
did  not  know  it,  and  I  let  myself  be  overborne." 
The  girl's  face  grew  more  defiant  and  her  eyes 
flashed  as  she  ventured  on  reply. 

"It  was  the  more  a  wrong,  then,"  she  cried, 
"to  take  advantage  of  him  when  he  could  not 
know.  Had  you  then  no  other  place  to  go?" 
The  woman's  hands  went  up  in  protestation 
and  she  uttered  an  inarticulate  cry. 

"A  thousand  places!  Yes,"  she  said,  "if 
at  the  end  it  had  been  a  thing  of  choice.  But  I 
was  no  more  free  then  in  making  up  my  mind 
than  he  was  in  the  beginning  in  believing  that 
in  me  Praskovia  Egorovna  had  come  to  him 
again.  When  he  first  came  to  me  with  the 
story,  I  fought  against  him  as  I  could.  How  he 
persuaded  me  I  do  not  know.  Perhaps  God 


THE  RETURN.  53 

willed  it — or  somewhere  it  was  sealed  of  fate — 
I  only  know  that  I  did  not  want  to  care,"  she 
added  softly.  Her  manner  changed  and  she 
bent  to  the  girl  with  a  new  note  of  eagerness 
in  her  voice.  "Sara,"  she  said  abruptly,  "you 
love  your  father,  do  you  not?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  girl  tentatively. 

"You  know  that  when  he  went  away  it  was  in 
the  belief  that  your  mother  was  not  dead,  and 
that  he  must  wander  without  peace  till  she  re- 
turned to  him?"  The  girl  made  no  verbal  an- 
swer, but  nodded  impatiently  an  assent. 

"Well,  when  he  found  me,  a  change  came  in 
his  delusion.  He  no  longer  thought  that  Pras- 
kovia  Egorovna  was  lost,  but  believed  that  in 
me  she  had  come  to  him  again.  That  was  the 
only  reason  that  he  turned  to  me  and  why  his 
thought  fixed  on  coming  back  here  to  Kussilof 
and  the  home  he  had  left.  That,  too,  was  the 
problem  I  had  to  face — whether  I  should  give 
up  my  life  and  go  with  him  in  your  mother's 
place  and  make  possible  for  him  once  more  the 
happiness  God  meant  that  he  should  have;  or 
else,  by  refusal,  shut  him  out  of  that  life  and 
leave  him  to  go  out  hopelessly  on  his  wander- 
ings again."  She  stopped  and  looked  wistfully 


54  HIS  WIFE 

around  the  cheerful  room,  letting  her  eyes  rest 
in  turn  on  the  various  home-like  furnishings  it 
contained. 

"This  is  a  pleasant  place,"  she  said  tremu- 
lously, "and  I  know  how  dear  to  you  your 
mother's  memory  and  things  must  be.  But  do 
you  not  love  your  father  well  enough  to  make 
this  sacrifice  for  his  sake!  Would  not  your 
mother  herself  wish  it,  if  she  knew?"  Sara 
Lukievna  was  sufficiently  her  father's  child  to 
be  slow  in  making  up  her  mind. 

"I  do  not  know,"  she  said  after  a  deliberate 
pause.  "I  love  my  father  and  would  do  much 
to  help  him  again  to  what  he  was,  but  it  hurts 
me  to  think  of  another  being  in  my  mother's 
place. ' '  The  woman  was  grateful  even  for  this 
small  softening,  and  her  face  lit  as  she  caught 
the  girl's  more  kindly  tone. 

"Try  to  think  of  it  only  in  that  way,  then," 
she  said  eagerly.  "I  shall  not  wish  in  any  sort 
to  blot  out  your  mother's  image  from  your 
heart.  Let  yourself  forget  that  side  of  it  and 
remember  only  that  from  this  time  we  are  going 
to  work  together  side  by  side  to  make  your 
father  happy  in  his  life."  She  paused  and 
waited  for  the  girl  to  speak,  but  Sara  Lukievna 


THE  RETURN  55 

maintained  her  silence  and  looked  irresolutely 
down,  so  the  other  woman  patiently  took  up  the 
thread  of  her  discourse  again. 

"Why  should  you  care  so  much,"  she  said 
absently, ' '  since  his  choosing  of  me  did  not  give 
to  me  his  love?"  She  stopped  abruptly  as  if 
unconsciously  her  speech  had  outrun  her  intent ; 
but,  seeing  the  girl's  eyes  raised  to  hers  in  cur- 
ious inquiry,  she  went  on  hurriedly  to  make  the 
matter  plain. 

"It  was  not  I  he  sought,"  she  said  sorrow- 
fully. "It  was  not  my  image  that  was  in  his 
heart.  I  love  your  father,  Sara,  with  all  there 
is  of  me  to  give.  I  would  work  my  fingers  to 
the  bone  for  him,  and  he  could  have  my  life  to- 
morrow, if  there  came  a  need.  But  this  pleas- 
ure of  giving  and  serving  is  the  only  thing  that 
has  come  to  me  in  return.  My  coming  to  him 
did  not  bring  to  me  the  real  joy  of  being  wife — 
the  bliss  of  being  loved  for  myself  alone!" 
Her  voice  broke  and  she  looked  away  until  she 
could  steady  it  again. 

"You  understand?"  she  said  tremulously. 
"It  was  never  I,  Lisa  Fedorovna,  to  whom  he 
turned.  If  he  touched  my  hand,  it  was  Pras- 
kovia  Egorovna's  hand  he  felt  in  his.  When 


56  HIS  WIFE 

he  looked  into  my  eyes,  it  was  not  mine  but  your 
mother's  soul  he  saw  look  back  at  him.  Was 
there  ever  such  a  fate  as  mine!"  she  cried. 
''To  be  so  near  to  happiness,  to  see,  to  agonize 
for  it,  and  yet  to  know  that  the  shadow  must 
stand  relentlessly  between!"  She  forgot  Sara 
Lukievna  in  the  bitterness  of  her  unhappiness 
and  stood  with  her  shoulders  heaving  and  her 
eyes  fixed  unseeingly  away. 

The  girl  watched  her  with  fascinated  interest, 
and  it  was  plain  that  her  loyalty  to  her  mother's 
memory  was  being  shaken  by  the  treacherous 
softness  working  in  her  heart.  But  there  was 
another  desire  in  her  which  was  stronger  than 
her  sympathy  and  it  was  this  which  first  put  it- 
self in  speech. 

"My  father — "  she  burst  out  suddenly. 
' '  Does  he  still  think  you  are  my  mother,  or  has 
he  found  out  the  truth?"  Lisa  Fedorovna  was 
still  so  preoccupied  with  her  thought  that  at 
first  she  did  not  seem  to  hear.  But  as  the  im- 
port of  the  question  came  fully  home  to  her  she 
turned  again  to  the  young  girl  and  Sara  Lu- 
kievna saw  that  her  eyes  were  filled  with  tears. 

"He  knows  it  now,"  she  said  almost  under 
her  breath.  "It  came  to  him,  after  a  time,  so 


THE  BETUEN  57 

that  he  understood."  The  girl  burned  with 
the  desire  to  know  what  change  this  sudden  re- 
trieving into  sanity  had  wrought  in  her  father's 
love,  but  there  was  a  reserve  in  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna's  eyes  which  was  almost  challenge,  and 
with  the  word  unspoken  she  set  it  reluctantly 
aside. 

"It  must  have  been  a  dreadful  thing, "  she 
said  sympathetically.  "How  was  it  that  it 
came  about?"  It  was  plain  that  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna  had  expected  this  question  and  dreaded 
it,  for  in  spite  of  her  effort  at  self-control,  her 
hand  went  to  her  heart  and  she  uttered  a  sharp 
little  cry. 

"Oh,  it  was  dreadful — dreadful!"  she  said 
quickly.  * '  So  much  so  I  can  not  bear  to  think 
about  it  even  now ! ' ' 

"Was  it  some  sudden  shock!"  urged  the  girl 
breathlessly. 

"Yes,  yes,  it  was  a  shock."  Lisa  Fedorovna 
began  to  tremble  with  excitement,  and  mani- 
festly found  in  the  recollection  such  vivid  pain 
that  Sara  Lukievna  forgot  her  resentment,  and 
moving  forward  impulsively  she  caught  her 
sympathetically  in  her  arms. 

"And  did  he  then  love  you  when  he  came  to 


58  HIS  WIFE 

know?"  she  whispered.  Lisa  Fedorovna  tried 
to  appear  unconcerned,  but  her  lips  were  un- 
steady and  her  face  set  so  convulsively  that  the 
girl  saw  that  a  struggle  went  on  in  her  between 
her  candor  and  her  pride. 

"It  was  not  that  alone,"  she  said  when  she 
could  control  her  voice.  "That  I  am  with  him 
here  shows  that  he  cared  enough,  at  least,  so 
that  he  did  not  send  me  away."  Sara  Lu- 
kievna  was  not  deceived  by  her  sophistry. 

"Then  why  are  you  so  unhappy?"  she  de- 
manded. For  the  moment  Lisa  Fedorovna  did 
not  answer,  and  before  she  did  she  reached  out, 
and,  putting  her  hands  on  either  side  of  Sara 
Lukievna's  head,  she  drew  it  down1  till  the  girl 
could  not  see  her  face. 

"I  can  not  tell  you,"  she  said  softly. 
"There  are  some  things  so  secret  they  can  not 
be  spoken  of  at  all.  God  has  set  this  one  be- 
tween your  father  and  me,  and  between  our- 
selves and  Him  alone  the  end  of  it  must  be 
worked  out."  She  stopped  abruptly,  though 
she  still  held  the  girl  pressed  close  against  her 
breast.  After  a  moment,  however,  she  put  her 
quietly  away  from  her  until  she  looked  her 
squarely  in  the  eyes.  "What  am  I  saying — " 


THE  EETUEN  59 

she  said  deprecatingly,  and  bent  to  Sara  Lu- 
kievna  with  as  much  of  a  smile  as  she  could 
muster  through  her  tears.  "Surely,  now  that 
you  know  the  truth  about  my  coming  here,  you 
will  not  mind  my  staying?"  she  cried  humbly, 
and  put  out  her  hands. 

This  time  Sara  Lukievna  did  not  repulse  her, 
and,  having  surrendered,  gave  herself  up  to  the 
new  condition  with  all  the  abandon  that  Lisa 
Fedorovna  could  have  wished.  The  two  women 
cried  together  for  a  space,  and,  when  the  storm 
was  passed  and  quiet  come  again,  Sara  Lu- 
kievna took  her  new-found  mother  through  the 
various  rooms  and  showed  her  what  her  two 
years'  stewardship  had  been. 

Lisa  Fedorovna  was  grateful  that  the  child 
had  so  frankly  accepted  truce  and  bent  herself 
eagerly  to  draw  her  into  yet  closer  bonds.  The 
girl  warmed  under  her  ministrations,  like  a 
plant  set  in  the  sun,  and,  listening  to  her  in- 
genuous confidences  and  the  infectious  laughter 
of  her  voice,  the  older  woman  lost  for  the  time 
the  look  of  grave  unhappiness  which  was  the 
fixed  expression  of  her  face. 

It  was  not  till  noon  that  the  shadow  settled 
over  it  again.  Then,  Sara  Lukievna  noticed 


60  HIS  WIFE 

that  her  stepmother  grew  uneasy  as  the  time 
approached  for  Luka  Antonovitch's  return. 

"You  must  be  patient  with  him,  child,"  she 
said,  "  if  he  is  moody  or  distraught.  Only  time 
can  bring  him  wholly  to  what  he  was  again." 
It  was  the  older  woman's  eyes  which  were  the 
first  to  see  the  man  as  he  came  along  the  way, 
but  Sara  Lukievna  could  not  wait  and  ran  to 
meet  him  when  he  was  still  some  distance  off. 
Luka  Antonovitch  was  pleased  with  her  eager 
impetuousness  and  put  his  arm  around  her 
shoulders  as  they  walked  along. 

"You  have  been  with  Lisa,"  he  said  with  a 
smile.  "Are  you  then  so  glad  to  have  her 
home?"  The  girl  gave  a  swift  sidewise  glance 
up  into  his  face  before  she  answered  him. 

"Yes,  I  am  glad  that  both  of  you  have  come," 
she  answered  bravely.  Luka  Antonovitch  took 
her  answer  quite  as  a  matter  of  course. 

"She  is  a  wonderful  woman,"  he  said  sim- 
ply. *  *  It  was  good  of  her  to  come. ' '  He 
brightened  notably  during  the  short  walk  to 
the  house  and  laughed  with  Sara  Lukievna  as 
light-heartedly  as  a  boy.  But  he  sobered  as  he 
reached  it,  and  looking  up  at  him  suddenly  the 
girl  saw  that  his  face  had  changed  so  that  \t 


THE  RETURN  61 

again  wore  the  mask  of  apathy  which  she  had 
noted  upon  it  when  she  first  met  him  at  the 
door. 

He  greeted  Lisa  Fedorovna  with  civility,  but, 
with  no  proffer  of  attention  or  caress,  pushed 
by  her  and  went  into  the  house.  The  woman's 
face,  as  she  stood  to  wait  for  him,  had  been  a 
transparent  mirror  of  her  soul.  She  made  no 
sign  of  complaint  at  his  chary  notice,  but  stood 
proudly  where  she  was  till  he  had  disappeared 
within.  Then  with  a  smile  that  was  pitiful  in 
the  unhappiness  it  strove  to  hide,  she  beckoned 
to  the  astonished  girl  and  followed  Luka  Anton^ 
ovitch  into  the  house. 

The  shadow,  whatever  it  was,  lay  darkly  on 
both  man  and  woman  during  the  midday  meal. 
Lisa  Fedorovna  waited  on  Luka  Antonovitch , 
with  a  submissive  attentiveness  which  left  no 
lapses  in  the  service  which  she  gave.  The  man 
accepted  her  ministrations  without  comment, 
but  preserved  the  same  stolidity,  speaking  occa- 
sionally, but  for  the  most  part  remaining  taci- 
turn and  grave.  When  he  was  done,  he  pusjied 
back  his  chair  without  a  word  and,  after  bring- 
ing in  some  pieces  of  their  baggage  from  outside 
and  doing  one  or  two  other  things  about  the 


62  HIS  WIFE 

room,  he  took  his  hat  and  went  out,  setting  his 
face  toward  the  store  building  of  the  Company 
in  which  before  he  had  had  his  work. 

Sara  Lukievna's  first  impulse  was  to  follow 
him.  She  had  had  in  mind  all  day  to  return  to 
her  other  home  and  see  what  outcome  there 
had  been  to  her  plan  for  Pavel  Pavelovitch's 
surprise.  But  the  pathetic  desolateness  of 
Lisa  Fedorovna's  figure,  as  she  went  list- 
lessly about  the  house,  touched  the  girl  so 
that  she  felt  ashamed  to  go  away  and  leave  her 
there  alone.  Then,  too,  it  piqued  her  pride  that 
neither  of  her  foster  parents  had  come  to  see 
what  welfare  for  her  her  sudden  change  of 
home  had  brought,  and  there  was  an  added 
touch  of  bitterness  in  the  thought  that  their  neg- 
lect was  due  in  part,  at  least,  to  their  blind  ab- 
sorption in  their  son. 

Her  wavering  judgment  found  the  convincing 
touch  in  the  opening  of  the  bundles  which  Luka 
Antonovitch  had  brought  in.  Absorbed  in  their 
examination  the  girl  put  off  the  intended  visit 
and  settled  herself  comfortably  for  the  day. 

But  she  could  not  get  out  of  her  mind  the 
shadow  which  lay  between  the  newly  wedded 
pair.  The  remembrance  of  the  constraint  her 


THE  RETURN  63 

father  had  shown  when  he  met  Lisa  Fedorovna 
at  the  door  lingered,  and  it  dawned  upon  her 
that  while  each  alone  had  spoken  of  the  other  in 
terms  of  interest  and  love,  as  soon  as  they  came 
together  a  barrier  seemed  to  rise  between  them, 
which  they  had  not  the  power  or  the  inclination 
to  beat  down.. 

"They  have  quarreled,"  she  thought,  and 
looked  at  Lisa  Fedorovna  with  sympathetic 
eyes.  But  before  the  three  parted  for  the 
night,  a  thing  occurred  which  showed  this  the- 
ory wrong  and  gave  the  difference  a  more  tragic 
note. 

The  long  evening  had  worn  slowly  away, 
while  the  girl  and  the  woman  talked  and  Luka 
Antonovitch  sat  and  listened  as  he  smoked.  As 
it  grew  late,  Lisa  Fedorovna  became  restless 
and,  rising,  set  about  making  things  ready  for 
the  night.  The  bedding  was  unrolled  in  an 
inner  room  and  a  final  fagot  crowded  in  the 
stove.  When  all  was  ready,  she  came  to  the 
young  girl. 

* '  It  is  time  you  were  asleep, ' '  she  said.  '  *  Are 
you  too  old  to  like  to  have  some  one  come  to 
tuck  you  in  I ' '  Without  waiting  for  an  answer, 
she  put  her  arm  around  Sara  Lukievna  's  shoul- 


64  HIS  WIFE 

ders  and  went  with  her  to  the  little  room, 
scarcely  more  than  an  alcove,  which  had  been 
hers  since  she  was  big  enough  to  sleep  alone. 
She  talked  to  the  girl  softly  till  she  was  un- 
dressed, and  then,  bending  down,  laid  her  cheek 
lovingly  against  the  cheek  upon  the  pillow. 
Sara  Lnkievna  wound  her  arms  around  her  new 
mother's  neck  and  drew  her  down  to  her  as 
tightly  as  she  could. 

"I  am  glad  you  have  come,"  she  whispered. 
"I  do  not  believe  I  shall  so  much  grudge  to  you 
my  mother's  place."  Lisa  Fedorovna's  head 
nestled  responsively  closer  and  she  convulsively 
drew  in  her  breath. 

' '  God  bless  you ! ' '  she  said  brokenly.  ' '  Your 
heart  is  so  tender,  it  hurts  me  to  think  you  are 
not  really  my  own."  She  held  the  girl  for  a 
heart-beat  drawn  down1  tight  against  her  breast. 
Then  as  if  fearful  to  stay  longer,  lest  she  should 
lose  her  self-control,  she  unwound  Sara  Lu-. 
kievna's  detaining  arms  and  went  hurriedly 
away. 

She  paused  in  the  main  apartment  long 
enough  to  light  and  take  up  a  lamp,  after  which 
the  girl  saw  her  go  across  and  enter  the  sleep- 
ing-room beyond.  Later,  with  the  lamp  left  be- 


THE  RETURN  65 

hind,  she  appeared  at  the  door  and  stood  with 
her  hand  raised  against  the  jamb. 

"It  is  late,  Luka,"  she  said  timidly.  "What 
are  you  going  to  do?"  The  man  raised  his 
head  and  looked  at  her,  but  beyond  that  made 
no  sign.  She  watched  him  till  she  was  sure 
he  was  not  going  to  answer  her,  and  then 
stepped  forward  a  pace,  a  great  pity  showing  in 
her  eyes. 

"Take  heart  I"  she  cried.  "O  Luka,  I  wish 
that  I  could  be  of  help  to  you  to-night  I"  The 
man  threw  up  his  hands  in  hopeless  protest, 
rose  from  his  seat  and  went  slowly  across  the 
room. 

She  must  have  thought  him  about  to  claim  her 
proffered  aid,  for  at  his  first  movement  she 
went  red  and  white  and  fixed  her  eyes  on  him 
with  a;  fascination  that  was  akin  to  fear.  Then, 
as  he  began  to  come  to  her,  her  consternation 
grew  so  that  she  gave  hastily  back  till  she  was 
again  at  the  door,  her  breath  coming  fast  and 
her  eyes  shining  with  an  excitement  she  could 
not  conceal. 

Yet  when  he  reached  her  he  did  not  stop,  but, 
pushing  by  her  without  a  word,  passed  on  into 
the  inner  room.  A  moment  after,  he  returned 


66  HIS  WIFE 

with  a  pile  of  bedding  in  his  arms,  and  carrying 
it  to  the  alcove  room  beyond  the  stove,  pro- 
ceeded to  arrange  a  place  there  for  himself. 
The  woman  watched  his  bent  figure  with  a  wist- 
ful tenderness.  She  followed  the  whole  process 
of  his  bed-making  with  impatient  eyes.  When 
he  was  done  and  stood  erect  again,  she  could 
contain  herself  no  longer,  and  with  a  wild  burst 
of  tears  she  ran  to  him  and  threw  her  arms 
about  his  neck. 

"I  love  you,"  she  cried  in  bitter  anguish, 
"and  yet  it  has  only  come  to  me  to  spoil  your 
life!  Surely,  some  day,  God  will  take  off  the 
curse — " 

"Hush,'*  he  cried  sternly.  "Even  so,  it  is 
not  for  the  child  to  hear!"  With  a  repression 
that  was  more  bitter  to  her  in  him  than  anger 
would  have  been,  he  disengaged  himself  and  set 
her  back  from  him.  It  was  evident,  though, 
that  there  was  no  quarrel  between  them,  as  Sara 
Lukievna  had  thought,  for  his  arm  went  round 
her  shoulders  and  he  drew  her  with  him  across 
into  the  farther  room. 

"How  do  I  dare  take  heart?"  he  said  wearily. 
"What  is  done  can  not  be  undone  and  there  is 
nothing  gained  by  beating  against  the  wall!" 


THE  RETURN  67 

They  passed  out  of  the  range  of  Sara  Bu- 
kievna's  hearing,  so  that  she  could  no  longer 
clearly  distinguish  words.  But  still  there  came 
to  her  with  depressing  distinctness  the  woman's 
pleading  voice,  her  stifled  weeping  and  the 
colorless,  persistent  dejection  of  Luka  Antono- 
vitch's  heavier  tones.  All  the  longing  of  the 
woman's  soul  was  voiced  in  her  eager  cry: 
"Have  courage,  Luka!  Oh,  take  heart!"  and 
it  spoke  again  and  again  out  of  the  confusion  of 
inarticulate  sound  until  the  listening  girl  got 
it  poignantly  on  her  nerves  and  cried  in  hearing 
it  for  very  sympathy. 

But  in  the  end  she  found  no  certainty  that 
Lisa  Fedorovna  brought  to  her  father  the  up- 
lift of  which  he  seemed  to  be  in  need.  For 
when  the  pleading  ceased  and  Luka  Antonovitch 
came  out  again,  he  was  alone  and  seemed  to 
have  no  thought  beyond  getting  himself  quickly 
to  his  rest.  His  face  was  pale  and  worn  and  he 
walked  heavily  as  if  he  were  deadly  tired.  He 
went  at  once  to  his  place  and  laid  himself  heav- 
ily down  and,  once  in,  as  if  to  shut  the  whole 
world  from  his  life,  drew  up  the  covers  clear 
above  his  head. 

It  was  perhaps  as  well  he  did  so,  if  he  wished 


68  HIS  WIFE 

to  sleep,  for  Sara  Lukievna,  less  protected 
where  she  lay,  heard  with  disturbing  regularity 
the  movements  and  restless  tossing  of  Lisa  Fe- 
dorovna  in  her  place  and  knew  from  her  sob- 
bing that,  long  into  the  night,  her  stepmother 
found  no  comfort  and  still  kept  vigil  with  her 
grief. 


CHAPTER  in 

SARA.  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK 

Suffering,  like  the  drip  of  water  on  a  stone, 
sets  indelibly  a  mark  of  wear,  and  there  was 
no  one  of  the  three  dwellers  in  the  house  at  the 
gate  but  showed  next  morning  the  strain  which 
had  been  upon  them  in  the  night.  Luka  An- 
tonovitch  was  moody  and  distraught.  He 
broke  his  fast  in  silence  and  when  the  meal  was 
finished,  deserted  promptly  from  the  room. 

Lisa  Fedorovna,  too,  was  heavy-eyed  and  lan- 
guid in  spite  of  her  strong  endeavor  to  look 
cheerfully  on  life.  But  Sara  Lukievna  was  the 
most  self-conscious  of  the  three.  She  could  not 
keep  out  of  her  face  the  depression  which  came 
to  her  from  her  unexpected  participation  in 
the  others'  cares,  and  she  followed  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna's  listless  movements,  as  she  went  about 
her  work,  with  eyes  which  had  in  them  a  frank 
appeal  for  further  confidences. 

Her  heart  was  very  tender  toward  her  new 
69 


70  HIS  WIFE 

mother  in  her  distress,  and  besides,  she  found 
a  burning  interest  in  the  mysterious  trouble 
which  lay  between  the  newly  wedded  pair.  So 
plainly  did  her  thoughts  show  in  her  face  that 
the  older  woman  noticed  and  finally  let  her  feel- 
ings into  speech. 

1  'Do  you  remember,"  she  began  abruptly, 
"how  bitter  life  seemed  to  you  the  day  your 
father  went  away?"  The  girl  did  remember 
and  made  instant  answer. 

' '  It  was  the  end  of  my  world ! ' '  she  declared 
positively. 

"Then  you  understand,  perhaps,  how  lonely 
it  was  for  me  last  night,  here  in  this  house  for 
the  first  time.  Was  it  so  very  bad?  Did  I 
keep  you  awake  long?"  Sara  Lukievna  felt  a 
twinge  of  shame,  as  if  somehow  it  had  been 
eavesdropping,  that  she  had  heard. 

"I  could  not  but  hear,"  she  said  apologeti- 
cally. "And  besides,  I  was  so  sorry  that  that 
alone  would  have  served  to  keep  me  awake." 
Lisa  Pedorovna  did  not  resume  her  work,  but 
stood  looking  first  at  one  hand  and  then  at  the 
other,  as  if  in  them  she  found  something  un- 
expected and  absorbingly  new. 

"It  is  sweet  indeed  to  have  your  sympathy," 


SAEA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK   71 

she  said  in  a  low  voice,  "but  by  what  right 
can  I  claim  it  when  I  can  not  tell  you  why 
it  should  be  given?"  The  girl  was  manifestly 
disappointed,  but  strove  earnestly  to  appear 
unconcerned. 

"It  was  a  free  gift,"  she  said  softly.  "I  had 
no  thought  in  offering  it  of  asking  anything 
from  you  in  return."  Lisa  Fedorovna's  face 
flushed. 

"Are  you  sure  of  that?"  she  cried. 

"Yes.  It  would  be  no  different  if  I  knew." 
The  woman's  figure  straightened  and  she  lifted 
her  head  with  a  new  strength. 

"The  kindness  will  not  be  misplaced,"  she 
said  with  a  certain  proud  humility.  "If  you 
knew  the  whole,  I  think  you  would  still  take  me 
by  the  hand.  Sometime  God  will  make  clear 
the  truth,  but  until  then  if  you  stand  by  my 
side  it  must  be  blindly  and  with  no  knowledge 
but  that  there  is  the  need.  It  will  not  be  so  hard, 
though,"  she  added  apologetically.  "After 
this,  even  if  I  am  tempted,  I  promise  you  that  I 
shall  not  give  way  to  my  loneliness  again!" 
She  turned  as  she  finished  speaking  and  re- 
sumed her  work  as  if  there  had  been  no  break. 
Sara  Lukievna  respected  her  reserve  and,  after 


72  HIS  WIFE 

a  moment  of  uncertain  waiting,  left  her  and 
stepped  outside. 

She  went  into  the  little  garden  which  Vassili 
Balin  had  established  in  the  sheltered  plot  to 
the  south,  between  the  house  wall  and  the  stock- 
ade. It  was  warm  there  in  the  clear  spring 
sunshine,  and  she  wandered  aimlessly  about, 
touching  the  flowers  and  absorbing  from  the 
complaisant  friendliness  of  nature  a  tonic  up- 
lift which  renewed  again  her  youthful  elasticity. 
It  was  impossible  not  to  be  cheerful  with  the 
sun  so  bland,  and,  as  her  imagination  warmed, 
she  forgot  the  depression  of  the  night,  and  re- 
membered only  that  life  provided  many  ameni- 
ties to  offset  the  unpleasantness  of  its  alarms, 
and  that  this  mystery,  which  sat  so  heavily  on 
her  father  and  mother,  was  furnishing  her  now 
with  many  continued  and  interesting  thrills. 

So  wrapped  did  she  become  in  these  specula- 
tions that,  until  he  had  passed,  she  did  not  see 
the  priest  who  came  in  through  the  gate  of  the 
stockade  and  went  by  her  on  his  way  to  the 
church  building  against  the  eastern  wall. 
When  she  did  see  him,  her  fear  of  the  evil 
eye,  should  he  have  seen  her  first,  made  her 
shrink  suddenly  into  cover  in  the  earnest  hope 


SABA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK   73 

that  she  had  not  caught  his  glance.  He  made 
no  recognition  of  her  presence,  however,  and 
she  crossed  herself,  as  a  further  protection  as 
she  watched  him  out  of  sight.  But  his  passingi 
gave  her  an  idea  and  she  went  back  into  the 
house. 

"Father  Damian  has  come.  We  shall  have 
service  to-day,"  she  said  eagerly  to  Lisa  Fe- 
dorovna. 

"Who  is  Father  Damian?" 

' '  He  is  the  priest  who  has  charge  of  the  three 
Inlet  missions  on  this  side.  He  goes  from  one 
to  the  other  and  is  only  here  one  week  out  of  the 
four."  Lisa  Fedorovna  found  no  special  in- 
terest in  the  announcement,  but  to  Sara  Lu- 
kievna  the  monthly  service  was  a  bright  spot  in 
her  quiet  life  and  something  that  was  beyond 
her  comprehension  that  any  one  should  think  to 
miss. 

"You  will  see  every  one  in  the  post,"  she 
cried  excitedly,  "and  they  will  every  one  want 
to  see  you.  And  I  shall  be  proud  of  you!" 
she  added  breathlessly.  Lisa  Fedorovna  did 
not  seem  greatly  pleased  at  the  prospect,  though 
she  smiled  at  the  girl's  excitement  and  bent  and 
kissed  her  on  the  lips. 


74  HIS  WIFE 

"But  what  is  there  of  interest  besides  the 
mass?"  she  asked.  "I  have  seen  services  be- 
fore." 

"The  service  itself  is  well  done,"  replied 
the  girl  loyally,  "but  for  one  thing,  since 
the  priest  is  come,  Ledka  Usova's  baby  will  be 
baptized  to-day,  and  she  is  letting  me  hold  the 
basket  for  her  at  the  font." 

"That  surely  will  be  worth  while,"  returned 
the  older  woman  with  a  smile.  She  let  herself 
fall  into  the  girl's  lighter  mood  and  began  to 
make  the  necessary  changes  in  her  dress.  Sara 
Lukievna  's  excitement  grew,  as  she  watched  the 
preparations,  and  she  urged  them  on,  till  Lisa 
Fedorovna  took  notice  of  her  haste. 

'  *  Why  do  you  hurry  me  so  ? "  she  said  finally. 
"It  is  an  hour  yet,  at  least,  before  the  service." 

"That  is  true,"  returned  the  girl,  "but  with 
us,  confession  comes  before  the  mass."  Lisa 
Fedorovna  stopped  with  her  dressing  and 
turned  to  Sara  Lukievna  with  disquiet  in  her 
face. 

"But,  surely,"  she  said  with  some  constraint, 
"it  is  not  necessary  that  one  should  always  be 
confessed?" 

"What  is  there  to  be  gained  by  waiting?  If 
you  are  not  confessed,  you  can  not  take  the 


SAEA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK  75 

communion,  and  if  you  do  not  do  that,  Father 
Damian  will  notice  it  and  come  at  once  to  find 
the  reason  why.'*  Lisa  Fedorovna 's  lips  drew 
together  and  she  stood  considering  the  matter 
with  half  closed  eyes. 

"I  think,  after  all,  I  shall  not  go,"  she  said 
slowly.  Sara  Lukievna  's  face  fell  and  she  gave 
a  little  cry. 

"Oh,  do  come!"  she  urged.  "I  do  not  want 
to  leave  you  here  alone. ' ' 

"I  shall  not  mind,"  returned  Lisa  Fedorovna. 
"And,  after  all,  it  is  better  that  I  should  be 
here  when  Luka  Antonovitch  returns. ' ' 

"But  he  will  go  to  church,  too." 

"No,  he  will  not,"  said  Lisa  Fedorovna 
quietly.  "He  will  come  home  here  to  me." 
With  sudden  intuition  the  girl  divined  the  rea- 
son for  her  companion's  hesitation  and  when 
she  spoke  there  was  a  significant  echo  of  her 
suspicion  in  her  voice. 

"But  you  will  have  to  go  later,  if  not  to-day," 
she  said.  "You  can  not  stay  outside  the 
Church."  Lisa  Fedorovna  turned  on  her 
fiercely,  and  there  was  the  look  of  one  who  is 
hunted  in  her  face.  The  glance,  however,  satis- 
fied her  that  Sara  Lukievna 's  suggestion  had 


76  HIS  WIFE 

been  nothing  but  a  guess,  and  she  held  reply 
until  she  had  gathered  her  emotions  safely  into 
control.  When  she  did  speak  it  was  with  the 
full  steadiness  of  self-restraint. 

"Perhaps,"  she  said.  "But  to-day,  at  least, 
it  would  not  be  best  that  I  should  go."  Sara 
Lukievna's  anticipation  of  introducing  her  new 
mother  to  the  congregation  of  the  post  had  been 
stronger  than  she  knew,  and  her  disappointment 
in  being  deprived  of  the  delight  was  great. 

"Oh,  well!"  she  said.  "If  that  is  the  way 
you  feel,  I  suppose  you  had  better  stay.  But 
for  me,  I  have  promised  Ledka  Usova  and  I 
shall  have  to  go."  She  lingered,  however, 
postponing  the  event,  in  the  hope  that  Lisa  Fe- 
dorovna  would  relent  and  change  her  mind. 
But  the  older  woman  remained  steadfast  in  her 
purpose  and,  beyond  a  sorrowful  reproach  that 
looked  out  from  her  eyes,  seemed  to  have  dis- 
missed the  subject  from  her  thought. 

Seeing  at  last  that  her  persuasion  came  but  to 
deaf  ears,  Sara  Lukievna  gave  up  the  effort  and 
set  out  by  herself.  It  did  not  increase  her  good 
humor  to  find  that  the  time  spent  in  argument 
with  Lisa  Fedorovna  had  made  her  late.  When 
she  entered  the  little  room  set  apart  for  the 


SABA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK  77 

confession,  it  was  already  full  of  people,  and 
she  had  to  wait  till  the  long  line  before  her  had 
received  judgment  for  their  whispered  sins. 

Her  own  confession  occupied  small  space,  and 
when  it  was  done,  with  a  swift  computation  of 
the  period  necessary  to  clean  the  smirches  from 
the  skirts  of  those  to  follow  her,  she  decided 
that  there  would'  be  time  for  a  visit  to  the  house 
of  her  foster  parents  before  the  service  should 
begin.  Here  again  she  met  with  disappoint- 
ment, for  the  house  was  empty  and  not  even 
Masha,  the  servant,  there  to  give  her  news.  She 
found  abundant  evidence  of  the  arrival  of 
Thoma  Pavelovitch,  and  experienced  the  first 
satisfaction  of  the  day  in  a  surreptitious  exami- 
nation of  his  things. 

She  awoke  from  this  delight  with  the  guilty 
conviction  that  she  had  again  overstayed  her 
time.  In  a  panic  of  contrition  she  hastened 
back  to  the  church,  only  to  find,  as  she  had 
feared,  that  the  service  had  begun.  As  she 
looked  in  from  the  vestibule,  the  priest  and  the 
deacon  came  out  through  the  north  part,  pre- 
ceded by  the  lamp,  so  she  waited  while  they 
passed  across  and  took  up  their  station  before 
the  holy  doors.  Then  when  the  deacon  said: 


78  HIS  WIFE 

"Let  us  beseech  the  Lord,"  and  the  people  be- 
gan  to  kneel,  she  took  advantage  of  the  con- 
fusion to  slip  quietly  through  the  crowd  to  her 
accustomed  place  near  the  steps  of  the  altar  on 
the  north. 

Here  a  small  strip  of  carpet  was  commonly 
reserved  for  her  use  and  that  of  Akoulina 
Fedosyevna.  But  this  time,  as  she  reached  it, 
she  saw  to  her  dismay  that  it  was  already  occu- 
pied by  some  one  else.  The  intruder  was  a 
young  man  whom  she  had  never  before  seen. 
This  fact,  together  with  his  official  dress,  which 
was  different  from  the  clothing  worn  by  the 
regular  dwellers  at  the  post,  suggested  to  her 
at  once  that  he  was  the  son  of  the  commandant 
for  whose  coming  she  had  so  excitedly  pre- 
pared. Neither  his  father  nor  his  mother  was 
with  him,  and  he  was  kneeling  out  the  very 
center  of  the  carpet  with  the  evident  expecta- 
tion of  occupying  it  alone. 

Sara  Lukievna  paused  irresolutely,  uncer- 
tain what  to  do.  She  looked  about  for  a  con- 
venient station,  but  saw  none  except  where  the 
floor  was  bare.  The  last  of  the  worshipers 
was  sinking  to  his  knees  and  there  was  no  time 
for  further  choice.  A  panic  seized  her  lest 


SARA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK  79 

she  be  left  standing  there  alone,  and  with  the 
aggressive  assumption  of  one  who  makes  a 
virtue  of  a  right,  she  plumped  suddenly  down 
at  the  stranger's  side,  appropriating  to  herself 
as  much  as  might  be  of  her  usual  place. 

The  space  was  so  narrow  that  unavoidably 
she  crowded  close  against  his  arm.  The  young 
man  turned  with  startled  haste  at  the  unex- 
pected interruption,  and  with  a  smothered  ejac- 
ulation of  apology  edged  promptly  over  to  one 
side.  Sara  Lukievna  kept  her  eyes  fixed  de- 
murely on  the  floor,  but  it  was  within  the  limit 
of  her  vision  that  the  stranger  remained  un- 
comfortably conscious  of  her  presence  and 
flushed  so  furiously  that  even  his  ears  grew  red. 

' l  He  is  not  so  bad ! ' '  she  said  to  herself.  She 
noted  his  trim  figure  and  the  careful  precision 
of  his  dress.  Between  them  on  the  carpet,  she 
discovered  a  square  of  white  cloth,  which  with 
a  mischievous  little  thrill  she  recognized  as  a 
handkerchief  which  he  had  spread  out  as  a  fur- 
ther protection  to  his  knees. 

Living  in  the  family  of  his  father,  the  girl's 
mind  had  been  so  steeped  in  the  details  of 
Thoma  Pavel ovitch's  return,  and,  further,  she 
had  been  regaled  by  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  with 


80  HIS  WIFE 

such  minute  accounts  of  his  appearance  and  in- 
timate characteristics,  that,  in  finding  him  thus 
beside  her,  she  felt  no  strangeness  in  the  situa- 
tion, hut  inclined  to  him  frankly  as  to  an  ac- 
cepted friend. 

From  his  side,  however,  Thoma  Pavelovitch 
lacked  the  advantage  of  like  precedents  and 
viewed  the  girl's  advances  with  uneasy  mind. 
He  remained  stiffly  in  his  place  until  the  prayer 
was  ended  and  then  got  quickly  to  his  feet. 
His  impulse  was  to  move  to  some  less  con- 
tested spot,  hut  before  he  could  put  his  intenL 
tion  into  act,  Sara  Lukievna  divined  it  and 
brought  him  promptly  to  a  pause. 

"Oh,  do  not  go,"  she  whispered.  "Unless 
you  insist  on  having  the  middle,  the  carpet  is 
quite  big  enough  for  two."  The  unexpected- 
ness of  the  attack  disconcerted  the  young  man 
and  he  grew  redder  than  before. 

'  *  I  will  remain, ' '  he  answered  hurriedly.  ' '  I 
was  told  that  this  was  my  mother's  place." 
Sara  Lukievna  looked  up  at  him  reassuringly, 
but  he  had  fixed  his  glance  steadfastly  on  the 
altar  and  would  not  allow  himself  to  be  put  at 
ease.  She  continued  to  turn  on  him  her 
sympathetic  glances  from  time  to  time,  but  he 


SARA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK  81 

persisted  in  remaining  oblivions  to  her  presence, 
and  so  long  as  the  service  lasted  she  was  obliged 
to  limit  her  ministrations  to  an  air  of  friendly 
appropriation  and  an  occasional  reassuring 
look.  But  when  it  was  done  and  the  crucifix 
was  kissed,  she  turned  to  him  promptly  and  put 
out  both  her  hands. 

"You  are  Thoma  Kolomin,"  she  cried  im- 
pulsively. "I  knew  it  must  be  you  as  soon  as 
I  saw  you  in  the  church ! ' '  The  young  man  re- 
ceived the  greeting  awkwardly  and  only  by  an 
effort  brought  himself  to  touch  the  fingers  she 
held  out. 

"My  name  is  Thoma  Kolomin,"  he  said  with 
a  stiffness  which  had  in  it  a  distinct  reserve, 
"but  it  would  perhaps  be  less  strange  to  me  that 
you  should  know  it  if  I  were  more  certain  who 
you  are." 

"Of  course,"  she  answered,  a  twinkle  of 
amusement  dancing  in  her  eyes.  "I  knew  who 
you  were  and  it  never  occurred  to  me  that 
you  would  not  know  about  me.  I  am  Sara 
Lukievna,  who  has  had  your  place  in  your  fam- 
ily while  you  have  been  away."  The  young 
man's  face  cleared  and  he  began  to  seem  more 
at  his  ease. 


82  HIS  WIFE 

"I  remember  now,"  he  said  in  his  slow 
speech.  "My  mother  has  spoken  to  me  of  you 
in  her  letters  from  time  to  time." 

"But  that  is  not  enough,"  returned  the  girl 
protestingly.  "Considering  that  I  have  had 
your  place  in  the  family  you  should  have  re- 
membered more  than  that.  Your  mother,  now, 
has  told  me  very  many  things  about  you,  and  I 
promise  you  that  I  have  not  forgotten  one.  I 
could  tell  you  when  you  were  born,  how  many 
teeth  you  had  when  you  were  two  years  old, 
and  how  long  you  wore  your  hair  in  a  circle  be- 
fore they  gave  up  cutting  it  under  a  bowl.  But 
there  was  one  thing  though,  that  she  forgot  to 
tell  me,  and  that  is  that  you  are  shy. ' ' 

Thoma  Pavelovitch  had  honest  eyes,  but  as 
he  tried  to  collect  himself  for  answer  the  only 
thing  they  showed  him  of  her  face  was  a  blur 
of  white  within  a  halo  of  encircling  red.  He 
hated  himself  for  being  disconcerted,  the  more 
so  because  it  was  certain  that  the  girl  before 
him  had  no  thought  to  be  unkind. 

"I  have  been  a  long  time  away,"  he  said 
apologetically.  "Perhaps  after  I  have  been 
here  a  while  I  shall  more  decently  remember 
the  things  I  ought  to  know. ' ' 


SAEA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK   83 

"Oh,  but  it  is  interesting  as  it  is,"  broke  in 
the  girl  impulsively.  "If  I  had  known  before- 
hand that  you  would  not  know  me,  I  should 
have  spoken  to  you  just  the  same." 

"No  doubt!"  he  said  a  little  dryly.  "And 
being  with  my  mother  it  will  probably  not  be 
long  before  I  shall  receive  from  her  full  infor- 
mation about  you."  He  bowed  formally  as  he 
spoke  and  stepped  back  with  the  evident  inten- 
tion of  getting  himself  away.  But  Sara  Luki- 
evna  was  too  frankly  pleased  with  his  society 
so  easily  to  give  it  up. 

"Why  do  you  not  stay?"  she  said.  "I  was 
at  your  house  just  before  the  service  began  and 
there  was  no  one  there." 

"That  is  true,"  he  answered.  "Instead  of 
going  to  church  my  father  and  mother  went  to 
visit  one  of  his  officers  here  who  has  just  ac- 
quired a  new  wife. ' '  The  girl  gave  an  exclama- 
tion of  surprise. 

"It  was  my  father  and  mother,  then,  that 
they  went  to  see.  I  wish  I  had  been  at  home ! ' ' 
It  was  Thoma  Pavelovitch's  turn  to  be  sur- 
prised. 

"But  you  are  not  Luka  Strukof 's  daughter?" 
he  said  abruptly.  There  was  something  in  his 


84  HIS  WIFE 

tone  that  made  the  girl  look  up  at  him  inquir- 
ingly. 

"Yes,  I  am  Luka  Strukof's  daughter,"  she 
said  steadily.  "Why  do  you  ask?"  The 
man's  ready  flush  of  embarrassment  stirred  in 
his  cheeks  and  he  hesitated  before  he  ventured 
a  reply. 

"I  was  simply  curious,"  he  said  finally,  "be- 
cause we  had  your  father  and  mother  with  us 
on  the  boat."  His  answer  did  not  turn  aside 
the  girl's  suspicion  and  she  kept  her  glance 
fixed  on  him  narrowly,  as  if  hoping  in  some 
way  to  surprise  from  him  his  ulterior  intent. 
Her  loyalty  to  her  father,  however,  kept  her 
from  disclosing  even  in  the  smallest  degree  the 
fears  that  were  in  her  mind,  and  she  shut  her 
lips  tightly  on  the  question  she  wished  most  to 
ask.  One  inquiry,  however,  she  felt  she  might 
put  without  attracting  to  herself  undue  remark. 

"You  came  with  them  all  the  way?"  she 
asked. 

"No.  They  boarded  the  ship  at  Kadiak, 
though  I  understand  that  they  were  but  just 
arrived  from  farther  west." 

"Of  course,"  said  the  girl,  as  if  she  had 
known  this  all  the  time.  She  had  hoped  to  hear 


SABA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK  85 

from  what  place  her  new  mother  had  been 
brought,  and  her  disappointment  in  not  learn- 
ing it  was  tempered  only  by  the  fact  that  in 
the  commandant's  son  she  had  found  a  source 
of  information  which  later  could  be  worked. 
The  young  man  saw  that  the  church  was  grow- 
ing empty  and  made  the  matter  an  excuse. 

"Shall  we  not  go?"  he  said  with  an  inclina- 
tion of  his  head  in  the  direction  of  the  door. 
"Almost  all  the  others  have  gone  out."  The 
girl's  hands  came  suddenly  together  and  she 
gave  a  little  shriek  of  dismay. 

"Where  is  my  baby?"  she  cried.  "Surely 
Ledka  Usova  could  not  have  forgotten!"  She 
looked  wildly  around  the  church  for  a  moment 
and  then  settled  on  a  figure  near  the  doorway 
with  a  flutter  of  relief. 

"Oh,  there  she  is!"  she  exclaimed  breath- 
lessly. "We  might  as  well  wait  here,  then, 
until  the  priest  arrives."  The  young  man  fol- 
lowed her  rapid  movements  with  bewilderment. 

"But  it  is  not  your  child!"  he  said  in  aston- 
ishment. She  looked  up  at  him  with  mischief 
in  her  eyes. 

"It  does  not  appear  as  though  it  could  be, 
does  it?"  she  said  demurely.  "I  suppose  I 


86  HIS  WIFE 

must  seen!  very  young."  He  looked  at  her 
with  suspicious  eyes. 

"I  am  afraid  I  am  no  judge  of  such  matters, " 
he  said  curtly,  "and  in  this  case  my  mother 
wrote  me  nothing  of  the  truth."  There  was  a 
distinct  edge  of  annoyance  in  his  tone  and  Sara 
Lukievna  set  herself  to  make  amends. 

"No,  I  am  not  married,"  she  said  humhly. 
* '  The  baby  belongs  to  Ledka  Usova,  the  woman 
who  is  holding  it  there  by  the  door.  I  call  it 
mine,  though,  because  she  lets  me  take  care  of 
it?  as  if-  it  really  were.  Are  you  fond  of 
foafoiest w  she  added,  turning  up  to  him  suddenly 
the  full  battery  of  her  dark  eyes.  She  did  not 
wait  for  him  to  answer,  but  went  on  as  if  she 
were  taking  the  words  directly  from  his  mouth. 

"Of  course  you  are  not,"  she  said.  "How 
could  you  be,  when  you  have  been  so  long  away 
in  schools  where  they  never  have  any  of  the 
proper  size?"  The  sacristan  came  out  with  a 
bucket  of  water  which  he  poured  leisurely  into 
the  font,  testing  it  with  his  fingers  to  see  that  it 
was  not  too  warm. 

"It  is  to  be  a  christening,"  said  Sara  Luki- 
evna, dropping  her  voice.  "At  least,  it  is  to  be 
the  baptism  part  of  a  christening.  You  see 


SARA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK   87 

Ledka  Usova  is  poor  and  has  only  two  shifts 
for  the  child  to  wear.  I  wanted  to  give  her 
more  but  she  was  too  proud  to  let  me,  so  we 
have  had  to  do  only  a  part  of  the  christening 
each  Sunday  and  divide  the  ceremony  into 
four.  Six  weeks  ago  Father  Damian  renounced 
the  child  and  blew  out  the  devils  for  us,  and  the 
last  time  there  was  church  he  anointed  him 
with  holy  oil.  To-day  they  will  put  him 
through  the  water  and  three  weeks  from  now 
they  will  finish  and  take  him  up  through  the 
royal  gates.  You  see  in  that  way  we  do  not 
have  to  undress  him  more  than  twice  in  one 
service  and  can  make  the  two  shifts  do  very 
well.  He  ought  to  be  finished,  though,  to-day," 
she  added  regretfully.  "He  is  growing  so  fast 
that  in  another  three  weeks  he  will  never  get 
into  those  he  has  now  unless  I  let  out  the 
seams." 

"Are  you  acting  as  sponsor,  then?"  he  asked. 

"No,  but  your  father  is.  He  has  to  promise 
for  half  the  babies  of  the  post.  I  am  to  carry 
the  basket  with  the  things,  and —  Oh,  you  will 
want  to  see  that  basket,  for  in  the  beginning  it 
was  yours.  Your  mother  lent  it  to  me  for  this 
christening,  because  it  was  my  baby,  and  it  has 


88  HIS  WIFE 

the  same  lace  and  bows  on  it  that  it  had  when 
it  was  carried  up  for  you."  It  was  plain  that 
the  young  man  did  not  take  altogether  kindly 
to  these  reminiscences  of  the  past. 

"You  have  the  advantage  of  me  in  recogniz- 
ing it,"  he  said  stiffly.  "My  memory  scarcely 
carries  me  back  as  far  as  that." 

' '  Come  and  see  it,  then, ' '  she  cried  gaily.  ' '  I 
assure  you  it  is  no  common  one  at  all. '  *  There 
was  something  compelling  in  her  assumption 
that  he  would  do  as  she  wished,  and  he  followed 
her  meekly  across  the  church  to  where  the 
woman  with  the  baby  stood. 

"Ledka,"  she  said,  "this  is  Thoma  Kolomin, 
Pavel  Pavelovitch's  son.  He  is  very  much  in- 
terested in  the  baby  and  wants  to  see  the 
basket,  which  you  know  used  to  be  his.  You 
would  not  think,  would  you,  that  it  ever  held  his 
clothes  while  the  priest  dipped  him  through  the 
water  by  the  legs ! ' '  The  woman  looked  Thoma 
Pavelovitch  over  and  her  mouth  widened  into 
an  appreciative  grin. 

"God  did  not  stunt  him,  surely,"  she  said. 
"It  would  be  easier  to  put  the  basket  in  his 
clothing  now."  As  before  when  Sara  Lukievna 
had  teased  him,  the  young  man's  face  again 


SABA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK  89 

grew  violently  red,  and  she  was  moved  to  fur- 
ther audacities  as  she  saw.  Taking  the  child 
from  its  pillow  in  the  mother's  arms,  she  held 
it  up  before  his  face. 

' '  This  is  Sasha, ' '  she  said.  '  '  That  is,  he  will 
be  Sasha  when  the  christening  is  done.  Lift 
him  and  see  how  heavy  he  is  for  three  months. ' ' 
The  young  man's  hands  went  instinctively  be- 
hind him  and  he  looked  so  uncomfortable  that 
the  girl  laughed  outright. 

"He  would  not  hurt  you!"  she  cried  with  a 
mischievous  wrinkling  of  her  nose.  Then,  see- 
ing that  the  priest  had  come  out  and  was  wait- 
ing at  the  font,  she  turned  and  put  the  child 
back  in  its  mother's  arms. 

"There  is  Father  Damian  and  the  water  is 
in  the  font,"  she  said.  "Why  do  you  not  go 
forward?" 

"Pavel  Pavelovitch  is  not  here,"  returned 
the  woman  doubtfully. 

"Where  are  the  others?" 

"Just  outside  the  door."  The  girl  drew  her 
brows  together  in  a  frown. 

"That  is  too  bad,"  she  said  warningly. 
"You  know  Father  Damian  does  not  like  to 
wait." 


90  HIS  WIFE 

"I  know  it,  but  what  can  we  do  when  there  is 
no  one  else?"  The  girl's  eyes  wandered  about 
the  church,  as  if  in  search  of  the  missing  spon- 
sor, and  came  back  at  last  to  the  young  man  at 
her  side. 

"Why,  of  course!"  she  said  with  a  sudden 
inspiration.  "Ledka,  here  is  Thoma  Pavelo- 
vitch.  Why  should  not  he  be  sponsor  in  his 
father's  place?" 

"Oh,  no!"  broke  in  the  young  man  pro- 
testingly.  Sara  Lukievna  vouchsafed  him  no 
answer  beyond  a  warning  lift  of  her  hand,  and 
turned  her  attention  to  Ledka  Usova,  who  was 
looking  at  the  unexpected  candidate  with  symp- 
toms of  alarm. 

"I  know  he  is  somewhat  young,  Ledka,"  she 
said  deprecatingly.  * '  But  he  comes  well  recom- 
mended, and  if  the  number  of  sponsors  is  cor- 
rect, I  do  not  see  why  Father  Damian  should 
stand  for  a  particular  one."  She  went  to 
Thoma  Pavelovitch  and  put  out  her  hand. 
"You  will  do  it  for  us,  will  you  not?"  she  said 
coaxingly.  "You  will  only  be  helping  your 
father  out,  and  if  the  baptism  goes  over  for  an 
extra  three  weeks  I  shall  have  to  make  Sasha 
an  entirely  new  set  of  clothes!"  Some  glimpse 


SAEA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK  91 

of  the  humor  of  the  thing  came  to  the  young 
man  and  his  face  relaxed  into  a  smile. 

"I  have  never  done  anything  of  the  sort,"  he 
said  feebly. 

11  Do  not  worry  about  that,"  cried  the  girl 
reassuringly.  "All  you  have  to  do  is  to  walk 
around  with  the  procession  and  pretend  to  an- 
swer like  the  rest."  She  rushed  to  the  door 
and  brought  in  the  remainder  of  the  party,  and, 
gathering  them  all  together,  convoyed  them 
safely  to  their  proper  place  before  the  font. 

Beyond  a  single  searching  glance  in  the  di- 
rection of  Thoma  Pavelovitch,  the  priest  paid 
no  attention  to  his  presence  and  did  not  seem  to 
notice  that  the  sponsors  had  been  changed. 
Sara  Lukievna  fairly  trembled  with  excitement, 
as  she  held  the  basket  by  Ledka  Usova's  side. 
She  was  fully  occupied  through  the  investiture 
and  the  penciling  with  myrrh,  but  as  they 
marched  round  the  font  she  contrived  to  come 
near  to  Thoma  Pavelovitch  and  between  her 
alleluias  to  make  hurried  speech. 

"A  barefoot  saint  could  not  do  better,"  she 
whispered.  "You  will  march  quite  as  well  as 
your  father  when  you  get  to  be  as  old."  Before 
the  end  of  the  final  prayer,  Thoma  Pavelovitch 


92  HIS  WIFE 

saw  his  father  come  guiltily  into  the  church,  and 
immediately  on  the  close  of  the  petition  he 
slipped  away  from  his  companions  and  joined 
him  at  the  door. 

''Come  away  before  they  get  me  into  any- 
thing more,"  he  said  hurriedly.  The  elder 
man's  eyes  twinkled,  and  he  submitted  without 
a  word  to  be  led  outside. 

"You  found  Sara,  then?"  he  said  quizzically. 
The  young  man  grunted  and  lifted  up  his  lip. 

"Yes,  I  found  her,"  he  said  grimly,  "and 
she  has  put  me  through  my  paces  till,  like  the 
baby  in  yonder,  I  feel  as  if  I  was  a  '  newly 
illumined  servant  of  God.T  The  old  man 
laughed  silently  and  put  his  hand  soothingly 
on  the  other's  arm. 

"I  thought  it  was  one  of  her  pranks  when  I 
saw  you  at  the  font, ' '  he  said  amusedly.  ' '  Well, 
well!  For  all  that,  she  is  a  good  girl,  Thoma, 
and  will  make  some  man  a  splendid  wife." 

"She  would  never  do  for  me,"  burst  out  the 
young  man  contemptuously.  "There  is  no  ap- 
peal for  me  in  women  of  that  kind."  Pavel 
Pavelovitch  was  highly  entertained. 

"Bless  me,  how  very  positive  we  are!"  he 
said  cheerfully.  "Why,  when  I  was  your  age, 


SAEA  MEETS  WITH  A  CHECK  93 

almost  anything  that  wore  a  kuntush  was  good 
enough  for  me.  I  will  say  this  to  you,  though, 
my  son.  If  you  feel  like  that  about  Sara  Luki- 
evna,  take  good  care  not  to  let  her  get  the  no- 
tion that  you  are  worth  her  while.  For  if  ever 
she  makes  up  her  mind  she  wants  you,  from 
that  moment  you  might  as  well  throw  up  your 
hands." 

"She  will  never  have  the  chance,"  returned 
the  young  man  heatedly,  and  again  his  father 
laughed.  They  went  on  in  silence,  the  older 
man  making  inventory  with  enjoyment  of  the 
items  of  the  younger 's  ruffled  self-esteem.  His 
relation  to  Thoma  Pavelovitch  privileged  him 
to  question,  and  he  took  advantage  of  it  to  re- 
open the  subject  as  if  there  had  been  no  break. 

"It  is  strange  we  have  not  noticed  these 
faults  in  Sara  Lukievna,"  he  said  with  well- 
assumed  seriousness.  "What  is  it  in  her  you 
do  not  like?"  The  son  shrugged  his  shoulders 
and  waited  a  moment  before  speaking,  as  if 
weighing  the  matter  judicially  in  his  mind. 

"It  is  not  so  far  to  seek,"  he  said  loftily. 
"She  talks  so  much  one  has  not  time  to  think. 
I  like  a  quiet  woman  in  the  house.  She  has  good 
points,  too,  I  suppose,  when  one  has  time  to  find 


94  HIS  WIFE 

them  out,  but  as  I  have  seen  her  only  once  it  is 
too  soon  to  judge.  But  she  was  forward,  I 
thought,  to-day,  and  she  made  me  nervous,  and 
— well,  if  it  comes  down  to  it — her  hair,  for  one 
thing,  is  too  red." 


LUKA  RECEIVES  ADVICE 

Thoma  Kolomin  fitted  himself  readily  into 
the  groove  already  established  for  him  by  his 
father's  position  and  prestige,  and  passed  as  by 
right  into  the  good  graces  of  the  dwellers  in  the 
place. 

He  was  a  man's  man  rather  than  a  woman's, 
and  wasted  small  time  on  the  feminine  portion 
of  the  post.  Sara  Lukievna  and  his  mother 
would  not  be  denied.  But  women  did  not  hold 
his  attention  and,  setting  them  to  one  side,  he 
plunged  into  his  father's  work  with  a  zest 
which  identified  him  promptly  with  the  life 
about  him,  and  raised  between  him  and  curios- 
ity the  sheltering  screen  of  a  close  familiarity. 
He  and  Pavel  Pavelovitch  became  inseparable 
companions,  and  the  old  man  grew  so  elated 
with  pride  in  and  admiration  of  his  son  that 
there  sat  on  him  perpetually  the  complacent 
mantle  of  his  new  importance. 

95 


96  HIS  WIFE 

"We  will  show  Konovalof  now,"  lie  said 
with  a  contemptuous  backward  uplift  of  his 
head.  "Let  him  build  himself  a  blockhouse,  if 
he  will!" 

But  Luka  Strukof  and  his  wife  did  not  slip 
so  quickly  from  the  public  gaze.  Either  be- 
cause they  continued  to  remember  the  strange 
possession  which  had  held  the  man  when  he 
went  away,  and  so  kept  interest  to  see  how  far 
the  new  wife  proved  a  consolation  for  the  old, 
or  else  because  they  scented  finally  some  flavor 
of  the  secret  which  lay  hidden  in  the  couple's 
lives,  the  gossips  of  the  post  kept  them  both  in 
memory  and  experienced  thrills  of  curiosity 
concerning  them,  long  after  Thoma  Pavelovitch 
and  his  coming  had  passed  as  an  interest  from 
their  minds. 

Not  that  the  conduct  of  the  two  was  such  as 
to  kindle  suspicion  into  flame.  Outwardly,  their 
relations  with  each  other  were  beyond  re- 
proach. Than  Luka  Strukof,  no  man  in  public 
could  have  been  more  devoted  to  his  wife,  and 
Lisa  Fedorovna's  cheeks  flushed  happily  under 
his  kindnesses,  even  when  she  knew  the  purpose 
for  which  the  attentions  were  assumed.  If  in 
private  he  was  less  assiduous  in  his  devotion, 


LUKA  RECEIVES  ADVICE          97 

f, 

no  one  knew  of  it  but  Sara  Lukievna,  and  she 
took  counsel  of  her  pride  and  did  not  tell. 

But  bad  news  travels  without  vehicle  of 
words,  and  in  some  unestablished  way  the  im- 
pression deepened  gradually  into  conviction 
with  the  lookers-on  that  all  was  not  as  it  should 
be  with  the  dwellers  in  the  house  at  the  gate. 
Much  of  this  belief  no  doubt  came  from  the  hos- 
tile comment  of  the  priest.  Both  Luka  Antono- 
vitch  and  his  wife  braved  public  opinion  from 
the  first  and  remained  away  from  church.  Per- 
suasion and  reproof  on  the  part  of  the  cleric 
brought  each  a  like  result,  and  the  fact  that 
Luka  Antonovitch  paid  all  the  required  fees,  as 
if  he  had  been  proper  in  the  rest,  did  not  deter 
the  discomfited  churchman  from  holding  up  pri- 
vately his  disapproving  hands. 

"If  he  is  not  a  heretic,  he  must  be  worse,"  he 
said,  and  repeated  the  charge  so  often  that  his 
flock  remembered,  and  found  themselves  look- 
ing at  the  culprit  with  eyes  that  had  in  them 
much  of  the  original  bias  of  the  priest's  black 
look. 

It  did  not  help  the  case,  either,  that  both  Luka 
Antonovitch  and  Lisa  Fedorovna  found  but 
light  interest  in  the  doings  of  the  post.  In  so 


98  HIS  WIFE 

small  a  place,  there  was  of  necessity  a  close 
communion  in  the  daily  life.  In  this,  by  right 
of  prior  entry,  Luka  Strukof  already  had  a 
part,  and  without  question  the  hand  of  fellow- 
ship went  out  equally  to  the  strange  woman 
who  had  come  to  stand  by  his  side.  The  men 
admired  her  boldly  and  the  women  brought  her 
kindly  greetings,  their  desire  to  be  friendly 
shining  in  their  eyes. 

At  the  beginning,  both  man  and  woman  met 
these  advances  with  an  almost  feverish  return 
in  kind.  But  as  the  days  lengthened  into  weeks 
and  the  weeks  into  months,  it  dawned  on  the 
little  community  that  the  harvest  they  were 
reaping  was  somewhat  disproportionate  to  the 
seed  which  they  had  sown.  Neither  Luka  An- 
tonovitch  nor  Lisa  Fedorovna  made  failure  in 
the  letter  of  the  law.  In  public  duties  and  in 
private  formalities  they  were  conscientious  to 
the  last  degree.  But  at  the  end  of  these,  no 
man  could  say  that  he  stood  closer  than  at  the 
beginning  within  the  line  of  their  reserve ;  and 
it  was  plain  to  watchful  eyes  that,  for  the  real 
intimacies  of  life,  the  pair  were  sufficient  unto 
themselves  and  remained  voluntarily  apart. 

This  once  established,  it  was  not  far  to  the 


LUKA  RECEIVES  ADVICE  99 

conclusion,  that,  even  between  themselves,  the 
husband  and  wife  failed  of  complete  accord. 
Luka  Antonovitch's  bent  shoulders  and  tired 
face  were  not  the  symbols  of  a  contented  mind, 
and,  when  set  off  against  the  defiant  misery 
which  looked  out  of  Lisa  Fedorovna's  eyes, 
these  things  became  eloquent  proclaimers  of 
the  discord  which  had  given  them  birth. 

"A  black  cat  has  run  between  them,"  said 
Akoulina  Fedosyevna  sagely.  ' i  God  grant  they 
may  not  have  to  wait  to  come  together  again 
until  a  child  is  born." 

Curiously  enough,  the  censure  for  the  differ- 
ence fell  mostly  on  the  wife.  Luka  Antono- 
vitch  went  each  morning  to  his  work,  and  his 
patient  unhappiness,  as  he  bent  above  his  desk, 
might  publicly  be  shared  in  by  all  who  went  in 
and  out  through  the  great  barrack  hall.  But 
Lisa  Fedorovna's  life  was  more  private  and 
apart,  and  so  more  open  to  be  misunderstood. 
Less  mercifully  preoccupied  by  her  tasks  in  the 
house  at  the  gate  she  found  the  hours  indoors 
intolerably  long.  Sara  Lukievna  was  patient 
to  a  fault  and  offered  steadily  such  consolation 
as  her  stepmother  would  permit.  But  with  the 
consciousness  between  them  of  a  secret  never 


100  HIS  WIFE 

to  be  shared,  their  communion  failed  patheti- 
cally to  bring  them  into  close  accord,  and  with 
growing  frequency  the  older  woman  found  the 
mood  seize  her,  when  it  was  beyond  her  strength 
to  remain  with  the  girl,  or  with  any  one,  between 
four  walls. 

And  so  it  happened  that  more  and  more,  as 
opportunity  could  be  made,  Lisa  Fedorovna  fled 
from  the  house  out  into  the  open  where  she 
could  be  alone.  The  fierce  unrest  within  her 
carried  her  over  the  beaten  trails  for  miles 
about  the  post,  and  she  spent  hours  on  the  bluff 
behind  the  town,  which  commanded  the  narrow 
river,  the  sweep  of  the  blue  Inlet,  and  the  ma- 
jestic line  of  volcanoes  in  the  low  plain  beyond. 

There  was  no  one  else  with  interest  to  fre- 
quent this  vantage  of  high  ground,  and  it  came 
as  unnatural  to  the  people  of  the  post  to  see  her 
lonely  figure  silhouetted  there  against  the 
northern  sky.  At  first  the  vision  brought  with 
it  simply  the  curiosity  that  finds  expression  in 
remark.  But,  seen  at  strange  seasons  and  day 
after  day,  her  very  aloofness  took  on  a  sinister 
significance,  so  that  the  feeling  hardened  into 
something  perilously  kindred  to  dislike. 

"If  she  would  hold  her  husband,  why  does 


LUKA  RECEIVES  ADVICE         101 

she  not  stay  at  home?"  they  said.  "It  is  the 
smell  of  smoke  that  keeps  love  in  the  house." 

Pavel  Kolomin  felt  the  suggestion,  like  the 
rest,  and  watched  its  spread  among  his  people 
with  concern.  He  was  fond  of  Luka  Strukof 
and  from  the  first  had  experienced  a  pleasing 
sense  of  satisfaction  in  the  presence  near  him 
of  the  man's  splendid  and  stately  wife.  It  dis- 
turbed him,  therefore,  to  see  trouble  between 
the  two,  much  as  if  it  had  been  his  own.  Nor 
did  it  add  to  his  peace  that  when  he  spoke  to 
Thoma  Pavelovitch  about  the  matter  he  found 
him  reticent  upon  the  point.  He  listened  to 
the  young  man's  guarded  answers  with  a  curi- 
osity which  had  in  it  a  growing  resentment  that 
they  offered  so  little  that  was  tangible  as  to 
the  grounds  of  his  dislike. 

"What  have  you  got  against  the  man?"  he 
asked  finally.  "Surely  you  are  not  supersti- 
tious about  him,  and  I  can  not  see  how  he  can 
have  given  you  personal  affront."  Thoma 
Pavelovitch  smiled  at  his  father's  vehemence, 
and  rubbed  his  hand  into  his  beard  before  he 
spoke. 

"No,"  he  said  in  his  deliberate  way,  "there 
is  no  personal  grudge.  I  must  admit  that  the 


102  HIS  WIFE 

man  does  not  attract  me,  but  it  is  not  because 
he  prefers  his  own  society  or  does  not  seem  to 
like  his  wife."  The  commandant's  face  re- 
mained clouded,  and  he  pursed  up  his  lips  as  he 
wrestled  with  the  thought. 

"What  is  it,  then?"  he  demanded.  "You 
must  have  some  reason  for  the  dislike. ' '  Again 
the  young  man  was  deliberate  in  his  answer, 
and  seemed  to  be  searching  in  his  mind  for  the 
full  truth. 

"How  about  his  loyalty?"  he  suggested. 
"Are  you  sure  that  his  interest  is  here  rather 
than  on  the  other  side?"  The  commandant 
turned  on  his  son  with  a  new  and  startled  in- 
terest. 

"Why  do  you  ask  that?"  he  said  abruptly. 
"I  have  trusted  him  completely  and  up  to  the 
time  of  your  coming  he  was  my  most  confiden- 
tial man." 

"That  is  true.  But  what  if  something — my 
taking  his  place  with  you,  for  instance — should 
have  changed  his  heart?" 

"It  could  not!"  burst  out  the  commandant 
excitedly.  * l  Certainly  you  have  seen  nothing  to 
bring  the  suggestion  that  it  had." 

1 1  Nothing  that  was  sure.    My  distrust  of  him 


LUKA  RECEIVES  ADVICE         103 

dates  back  to  the  time  when  I  was  with  him  on 
the  boat.  I  went  to  him  at  once,  when  I  found 
that  he  was  from  here,  but  he  would  have  none 
of  me,  and  kept  me  at  arm's  length,  as  if  he 
had  some  secret  he  was  afraid  I  should  find  out. 
There  were  strange  stories,  too,  afloat  about 
him  among  the  crew,  though  nothing  certain  or 
distinct,  and  all  the  voyage  he  kept  away  from 
our  men,  and  herded  with  the  hunters  from  the 
Kenai  post." 

The  commandant  listened  attentively,  though 
it  was  plain  he  was  reluctant  to  be  convinced. 

1 '  It  is  something  else, ' '  he  maintained  stoutly. 
"Even  if  he  meditated  treason  then,  he  is  here 
under  my  eye  all  day  long,  and  has  no  chance, 
even  if  he  sought  one,  to  dicker  with  our 
friends  across  the  stream."  The  young  man 
shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"But  how  about  his  wife?"  he  asked  quietly. 
'  *  She  is  out  in  the  open  all  tunes  of  the  day,  and 
could  carry  a  hundred  messages  for  him,  if  she 
so  desired.  Perhaps  it  is  she  who  is  disaffected, 
and  he  can  not  hold  her  down;  or  the  whole 
trouble  between  them  may  be  assumed,  so  that 
the  wife  can  get  a  better  chance  to  be  outside." 
But  Pavel  Kolomin  remained  loyal  to  his 


104  HIS  WIFE 

friendship,  and  refused  to  admit  the  matter  fur- 
ther to  his  mind. 

'  *  Pshaw !  that  is  nonsense ! "  he  broke  in  stub- 
bornly. ' '  You  will  have  me  in  the  plotting  next, 
because  I  have  been  associating  daily  with  the 
man.  I  do  not  believe  a  word  of  it."  Thoma 
Pavelovitch  did  not  gainsay  him,  and  let  the 
matter  drop.  But  the  imputation  remained  and 
rankled  in  his  father's  mind,  until  his  caution 
as  an  officer  took  arms  against  his  feelings  as  a 
man,  and  he  came  back  with  the  matter  soberly 
to  his  son. 

"I  know  that  I  shall  find  that  I  am  right,"  he 
said  defiantly;  "but  the  house  at  the  gate  com- 
mands the  entrance  to  the  stockade,  and  it 
would  be  foolish  to  neglect  a  single  possibility. 
I  shall  make  it  my  business  to  talk  with  Luka 
Strukof ,  and  probe  this  matter  to  its  truth. ' ' 

He  had  only  to  wait  till  morning  to  find  the 
opportunity  he  sought.  It  was  his  custom  to  go 
out  early  on  his  inspection  round,  returning 
later  to  the  barrack  to  receive  from  Luka 
Strukof  the  reports  on  the  day  just  past.  Com- 
ing on  him  thus,  a  little  before  noon,  he  found 
him  seated  at  his  office  table  fast  asleep.  The 
reports  were  all  made  out  and  ready,  and  lay 


105 

before  him  in  methodical  little  piles.  But  his 
arms  were  on  the  boards  in  front  of  him,  and 
his  head  was  dropped  in  such  complete  abandon 
that  he  did  not  hear  the  commandant  as  he 
came  in. 

Pavel  Kolomin  came  forward  to  the  table 
and  paused  beside  the  sleeper  with  a  smile.  His 
first  thought  was  to  go  away  and  leave  him  to 
his  nap.  But  as  he  turned  to  put  his  action  into 
deed,  he  saw  that  which  made  him  pause  and 
bend  curiously  down  above  the  sleeping  man. 

Luka  Antonovitch's  head  was  resting  on  his 
hands  and  his  long  hair  had  fallen  forward  until 
it  hid  all  vision  of  his  face.  The  unaccustomed 
position  had  disarranged  his  locks  from  the 
order  in  which  they  commonly  lay,  and  in  the 
uncovered  space  on  the  right  side  of  his  head 
there  showed  unexpectedly  in  view  a  fresh- 
healed,  livid  scar. 

It  was  so  ugly  a  wound  and  so  unexpected  in 
the  finding,  that  the  commandant,  in  stooping 
to  examine  it,  gave  an  involuntary  exclamation 
of  surprise.  The  interruption,  so  near  to  his 
ear,  went  to  the  sleeper's  consciousness  as  the 
more  familiar  sound  had  failed  to  do,  and  he 
sat  suddenly  upright.  His  eyes  were  wide  with 


106  HIS  WIFE 

sleep,  and  he  stared  at  Pavel  Kolomin  with  a 
confusion  which,  when  he  saw  who  it  was  that 
had  awakened  him,  changed  to  a  look  of  evident 
fear.  He  was  so  genuinely  alarmed  that  the 
commandant  spoke  at  once  to  put  him  at  his 
ease. 

"What  is  it,  man?"  he  asked  smilingly. 
"You  must  have  had  bad  dreams."  Luka  An- 
tonovitch  did  not  speak  and  kept  his  eyes  fixed 
watchfully  on  his  interlocutor,  though  he  nod- 
ded his  head  slightly  as  if  in  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion asked.  His  hand  went  cautiously  to  his 
head,  and  feeling  that  the  scar  was  bare,  he 
drew  the  hair  hastily  across  it,  while  a  flood  of 
color  rose  to  his  face  and  mounted  to  his  eyes. 
His  manner  was  so  strange  and  he  was  so  pal- 
pably disturbed,  that  Pavel  Kolomin  felt  the 
suspicion  stir  in  him  that  perhaps,  after  all,  the 
man  had  something  to  conceal. 

"What  is  it  that  is  on  your  mind!"  he  said 
bluntly.  "You  look  as  if  you  had  seen  a 
ghost."  Luka  Antonovitch 's  face  went  sud- 
denly white  and  he  drew  in  a  gasping  breath. 

"Perhaps  I  have,"  he  said  softly,  and  let  his 
eyes  go  down  hurriedly  to  the  ground,  Then, 
feeling  the  suspicion  in  the  other's  manner,  he 


LUKA  EECEIVES  ADVICE         107 

pulled  himself  together  and  looked  the  com- 
mandant squarely  in  the  eyes. 

11  Pavel  Pavelovitch, '  *  he  said  appealingly, 
"I  have  always  been  honest  with  you,  have  I 
not?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  commandant  laconically. 

' l  Then  you  will  believe  me  when  I  say  to  you 
that  there  is  a  matter  which  is  weighing  on  my 
mind,  but  that  it  is  not  a  thing  that  I  can  tell  to 
you."  The  commandant's  eyes  fixed  them- 
selves on  him  searchingly,  and  his  face  grew 
grave. 

"Why  not?"  he  said  curtly. 

"Because  the  secret  belongs  to  others  besides 
myself."  Pavel  Kolomin  drew  down  his  brows 
and  considered  silently  before  he  spoke. 

"Your  wife,  I  suppose,  is  one  of  the  others," 
he  said  when  he  had  thought  the  matter  out. 
Again  Luka  Strukof  's  head  went  down. 

"Yes,"  he  admitted  reluctantly. 

"And  that  is  the  reason  that  you  and  your 
wife  do  not  agree?"  The  color  came  back  to 
Luka  Strukof 's  face  with  a  rush,  and  he  half 
started  to  his  feet. 

"Is  it  so  plain  as  that?"  he  cried.  "Why 
did  you  not  tell  me  that  you  saw ! ' '  The  com- 


108  HIS  WIFE 

mandant  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then  with 
a  kindly  shrug  came  forward  and  put  his  hand 
on  the  shoulder  of  the  excited  man. 

'  *  My  friend, ' '  he  said  gently,  ' '  I  do  not  know 
your  secret,  and  if  you  choose  to  keep  the  mat- 
ter from  me,  I  do  not  wish  to  know.  It  touches 
me,  though,  that  you  and  I,  who  have  stood  to- 
gether through  so  many  troubles,  should  find 
one  here  at  last  which  we  can  not  share.  I 
should  like  to  help  you  with  it  if  I  can,  but  if 
not,  the  secret  is  your  own  until  you  choose  to 
tell.  There  is  but  one  point  on  which  I  wish  as- 
surance, and  that  is  that  through  this  reserve 
of  yours  there  threatens  no  treason  to  me  or  to 
the  post."  Luka  Strukof 's  face  cleared  and  he 
raised  it  to  the  commandant  with  the  honesty 
of  a  child. 

"I  have  never  been  disloyal  to  you  in  any- 
thing, Pavel  Pavelovitch, "  he  said  simply.  "I 
would  cut  my  hand  off  for  you,  if  there  was  the 
need. ' ' 

*  *  And  your  wife, ' '  persisted  the  commandant. 
"Are  you  equally  sure  that  she  is  having  no 
dealings  with  the  people  on  the  other  side  ? "  It 
was  evident  without  words  that  the  question 
came  as  a  surprise  to  the  man  addressed,  for 


LUKA  RECEIVES  ADVICE         109 

his  eyes  opened  with  astonishment,  and  he  stood 
looking  at  the  commandant  with  parted  lips. 

"Lisa?"  he  cried  with  a  half  incredulous 
laugh.  "Lisa!"  Then  as  suddenly  his  face 
sobered,  and  he  answered  the  inquiry  as  if 
there  had  been  no  break. 

"My  wife's  honor  is  as  near  to  me  as  my 
skin,"  he  said  proudly.  "And  I  take  the  same 
care  that  it  shall  not  be  hurt. ' '  The  command- 
ant took  away  his  hand,  and  stepped  quietly 
back. 

' '  That  is  enough, ' '  he  said.  l '  I  did  not  really 
think  that  it  was  touched."  Then  with  the  air 
of  definitely  dismissing  the  subject  from  his 
mind  he  lifted  his  eyes  to  the  scar  on  Luka 
Antonovitch 's  head. 

"That  is  a  bad  cut  you  have  there,"  he  said 
irrelevantly.  "I  do  not  remember  that  you  had 
it  when  you  went  away."  A  gleam  of  the  old 
anxiety  flickered  up  in  Luka  Antonovitch 's 
eyes. 

"It  was  a  fall,"  he  said,  forcing  himself  to 
speak  slowly  and  with  distinctness.  "It  hap- 
pened while  I  was  on  the  other  side."  The 
commandant  saw  his  chance  to  bring  the  con- 
versation round  to  a  point  that  he  had  wished. 


110  HIS  WIFE 

11  That  was  bad  luck,"  he  said,  "but  at  least 
it  brought  to  you  the  chance  to  get  good  nurs- 
ing from  your  wife."  Luka  Strukof  flashed  a 
quick  glance  that  showed  that  he  suspected  the 
ulterior  motive  in  the  other's  words,  but  he 
was  not  afraid  to  approach  the  subject,  and 
answered  him  at  once. 

"It  was  to  the  holding  of  my  life,"  he  said 
earnestly.  "Without  her  nursing  I  should  not 
now  be  here." 

"And  yet,"  said  the  commandant  with  a  nar- 
rowing of  his  eyes,  "after  all  that,  you  let  a 
difference  come  between  you,  so  that  you  walk 
apart,  and  let  yourselves  lose  the  comfort  God 
meant  for  you  as  man  and  wife."  Luka  An- 
tonovitch's  face  remained  a  mask,  but  his  mel- 
ancholy eyes  fixed  themselves  on  his  tormentor 
in  dumb  appeal  that  he  would  let  the  matter 
pass.  But  Pavel  Kolomin  was  blind  to  his  de- 
sire, and  went  quickly  on. 

"It  is  a  thankless  task  to  give  advice  where 
none  is  asked,"  he  said.  "But  there  are  some 
things  a  friend  ought  to  do  for  another,  no  mat- 
ter how  much  they  stand  to  hurt.  I  do  not 
know  what  the  trouble  is  between  you  and  your 
wife,  but  I  want  to  urge  you  that,  for  your  own 


LUKA  EECEIVES  ADVICE         111 

sake,  without  delay  you  try  to  make  it  up. 
There  is  not  overmuch  of  happiness  for  the  best 
of  us  in  life,  and  out  here  on  the  edge  of  things 
there  is  so  much  more  of  heartbreak  in  our  bit- 
ter grind,  that  no  man  can  afford  to  miss  the 
smallest  chance  of  happiness  that  may  be  his. 
You  have  a  chance  of  happiness  there,  if  you 
will  take  it,  and  it  is  not  common-sense  to  let  it 
go.  If  the  fault  has  been  yours,  put  your  pride 
in  your  pocket,  and  go  to  Lisa  Fedorovna  and 
tell  her  you  were  wrong.  If  it  is  hers,  humble 
yourself  and  refuse  to  be  turned  aside,  if  she 
gives  you  a  sharp  word.  She  loves  you,  man, 
I  have  seen  it  in  her  eyes.  The  heaven  she  can 
open  to  you  is  worth  all  else  that  can  come  to 
you  in  life.  You  have  taken  her  from  others 
and  closed  the  door  behind  her  on  the  world 
she  had  before.  Now  be  a  man,  and  show  her 
that  you  propose  to  make  for  her  another  just 
as  good." 

He  paused  for  lack  of  breath,  and  stood  look- 
ing at  Luka  Antonovitch,  to  see  what  effect  his 
counsel  had  produced.  The  latter  sat  stiffly 
upright,  as  he  had  been  when  the  commandant 
began,  except  that  before  the  speech  was  over 
his  face  had  settled  into  its  look  of  habitual 


112  HIS  WIFE 

weariness,  and  he  gripped  the  sides  of  the  table 
with  his  hands. 

"Well?"  said  the  commandant  at  last.  With 
a  sudden  motion  Luka  Antonovitch  brought  his 
eyes  to  those  of  his  questioner,  and  sorrowfully 
shook  his  head. 

"I  can  not!  I  can  not!"  he  broke  out  pas- 
sionately. "God  knows  it  is  not  written  within 
my  right!"  His  eyes  continued  to  hold  those 
of  the  commandant  in  almost  defiant  challenge, 
and  the  latter,  after  a  moment's  steady  meeting 
of  the  glance,  gave  up  the  contest  and  turned 
aside  with  a  sigh. 

"Well,  I  suppose  you  are  the  best  judge  of 
that,"  he  said  absently.  He  straightened  his 
cap  and  coming  forward  put  his  hand  kindly  on 
Luka  Strukof's  arm. 

"Think  it  over,  man,"  he  said  with  a  little 
coaxing  smile.  Then  with  a  nod,  and  a  final 
friendly  pressure  of  the  arm  he  had  held,  he 
went  out  and  left  his  companion  there  alone. 
For  some  time  after  the  going  of  the  command- 
ant Luka  Strukof  remained  rigidly  in  his  place, 
his  eyes  fixed  on  vacancy,  as  if  he  neither  saw 
nor  heard.  Then,  with  a  shake  of  his  head  and 
a  bitter  out-sending  of  his  breath,  he  came  back 


113 

to  himself,  and,  gathering  up  his  papers,  he  set 
them  away,  and  passed  out  in  turn  through  the 
open  barrack  door,  looking  neither  to  the  right 
nor  to  the  left,  and  turning  his  feet  with  the 
unconsciousness  of  habit  into  the  familiar  path 
which  led  to  the  house  at  the  gate. 

His  preoccupation,  when  he  reached  the 
house,  had  as  yet  granted  him  no  sanction  to 
act  upon  the  commandant's  advice.  But  this 
side  of  decision  he  found  ample  room  for 
thought  and,  when  he  met  his  wife,  it  was  with 
the  uncomfortable  feeling  stirring  in  his  heart 
that  perhaps  there  had  really  been  something  in 
his  treatment  of  her  which  called  for  definite 
amends. 

Sara  Lukievna  had  gone  to  her  foster  parents 
for  the  day,  and  Lisa  Fedorovna  was  at  home 
alone.  The  attitude  of  constraint  was  so  usual 
a  one  between  her  and  Luka  Antonovitch,  that 
she  noticed  nothing  different  in  his  manner 
when  she  first  met  him  at  the  door.  But  his 
thought  was  too  closely  on  her  to  admit  of  his 
interest  remaining  hid,  and  before  the  noonday 
meal  was  over  she  became  conscious  that  she 
was  more  than  usually  in  his  regard,  and  that 
his  eyes  were  constantly  following  her  in  secret 


114  HIS  WIFE 

question  at  the  times  when  he  thought  she  did 
not  see. 

Showing  thus  unexpectedly  out  of  the  desert 
of  his  habitual  indifference,  his  interest  brought 
her  for  the  moment  a  blissful  warming  at  the 
heart.  But  as  the  meal  approached  its  close, 
and  the  manifestation  failed  to  grow  into  at- 
tention more  intimate  or  frank,  her  pleasure 
faded  into  a  sinking  at  the  heart,  and  she  found 
herself  watching  him,  in  turn,  with  an  absorp- 
tion that  moved  her  to  a  certain  sick  dismay. 

She  fought  against  this  possession  that  he 
should  not  see,  but  in  spite  of  the  effort  she 
grew  awkward  and  self-conscious,  and  in  meas- 
ure with  her  nervousness  her  manner  became 
more  and  more  constrained.  He  realized  at  last 
that  she  was  troubled  by  his  insistence  and  a 
wave  of  tenderness  swept  over  him,  which  lifted 
his  courage  to  the  point  of  surer  sight. 

He  delayed  the  explanation,  however,  till  the 
meal  was  finished  and  it  was  time  for  him  to  go. 
Then  he  went  to  her,  with  an  air  of  conscious 
embarrassment,  and  awkwardly  put  out  his 
hands.  She  lifted  hers  to  meet  them  almost  un- 
consciously, and  her  eyes  centered  themselves 
with  uncertain  query  on  his  face. 


LUKA  RECEIVES  ADVICE         115 

"It  is  nothing  bad,"  he  said  gently,  "I  want 
to  lessen  your  unhappiness,  not  add  to  it.  I 
have  been  thinking  of  you  this  morning,  there  in 
the  barrack,  and  it  has  come  to  me  that  perhaps 
I  have  not  been  as  thoughtful  always  toward 
you  as  I  should."  It  was  the  first  time  he  had 
softened  into  any  demonstration  of  affection, 
and  she  flushed  furiously  in  the  suddenness  of 
her  surprise. 

1  'Oh  no,  no!"  she  cried  almost  under  her 
breath.  "You  have  been  good  to  me.  What 
further  could  I  ask?" 

"Perhaps  much,"  he  persisted,  following  the 
thought  that  Pavel  Kolomin  had  just  put  into 
his  head.  "I  took  you  away  from  everything 
you  had  in  life,  and  what  am  I  doing  toward 
making  for  you  a  new  happiness  here?" 

' ' Hush ! ' '  she  said  warningly.  "It  is  neither 
with  you  nor  me  to  order  our  happiness!" 

"I  know,"  he  answered  doggedly;  "but  God 
Himself  would  surely  say  that  I  should  see  that 
there  came  to  you  the  full  meed  of  comfort  He 
allows.  I  want  to  help!"  he  cried.  "Tell  me 
what  I  can  do  to  make  the  cup  less  bitter  as  you 
drink."  She  smiled  at  him,  but  sorrowfully 
shook  her  head. 


116  HIS  WIFE 

"There  is  nothing  to  be  done,"  she  said.  Her 
tone  had  in  it  all  the  hopelessness  of  her  con- 
viction, hut  she  looked  at  him  with  such  wistful 
suggestiveness  that  he  refused  to  accept  her 
answer  as  a  final  word. 

"There  is  a  way,"  he  cried  triumphantly,  "I 
see  it  in  your  face."  She  kept  her  eyes  fixed 
bravely  on  him,  though  the  tears  stood  in  them 
so  she  could  scarcely  see. 

"It  may  be,"  she  said  tremulously.  "But  I 
can  not  tell  you  what  it  is,  Luka,  if  you  do  not 
see  it  for  yourself."  He  stood  looking  at  her 
perplexedly  while  he  turned  the  matter  over  in 
his  mind. 

' '  Oh,  you  are  blind ! ' '  she  cried  with  a  sudden 
fierce  impatience,  and,  snatching  her  hands 
from  his,  she  left  him  standing  and  ran  ab- 
ruptly into  the  inner  room. 


CHAPTER  V 

LISA'S   FORTUNE 

Thoma  Kolomin's  irritation  at  Sara  Lu- 
kievna  had  but  a  passing  life.  The  change, 
however,  did  not  come  because  of  any  sudden 
parting  of  the  veil  before  his  eyes.  On  the 
contrary,  so  far  as  a  recognition  of  her  virtues 
was  concerned,  he  continued  for  a  long  time  to 
see  her  through  it  as  dimly  as  at  first,  and 
there  persisted  for  him  steadily  the  feeling  of 
uneasiness  as  to  her  purposes  which  kept  him 
watchful  lest  he  should  find  her  exploiting  him 
further  for  her  pleasure,  as  she  had  done  on 
that  first  day  in  the  church.  But  the  very  need 
of  keeping  on  his  guard  gave  her  a  distinction  in 
his  mind  above  the  other  women  of  the  post,  so 
that  at  least  she  remained  with  him  as  some- 
thing of  which  he  must  warily  take  account. 

Sara  Lukievna,  for  her  part,  gave  him  no 
serious  reason  for  alarm.  She  could  not  but 
be  aware  of  his  trepidation,  for  Pavel  Kolomin 

117 


118  HIS  WIFE 

had  lost  no  time  in  telling  her  of  the  primal  im- 
pression she  had  made.  But  she  was  too  inter- 
ested in  the  young  man  for  his  family 's  sake  to 
wish  to  have  him  hold  her  at  arm's  length,  and 
when  her  mischief  tempted  her  she  regretfully 
suppressed  it,  so  that  he  seldom  saw  more  of  it 
than  the  longing  desire  for  it  that  looked  out 
from  her  eyes. 

She  met  him  as  frankly  as  a  sister  might,  and 
though  she  was  jealously  assertive  in  seeing 
that  he  did  not  push  her  from  her  place  in  the 
hearts  of  the  commandant  and  his  wife,  yet  she 
recognized  his  claim  to  a  proper  share  of  the 
family  regard,  and  yielded  to  him  gracefully  a 
generous  part.  It  was  easier  for  both  that  from 
the  time  of  the  young  man's  home-coming  she 
was  obliged  to  relinquish  her  residence  with  her 
foster  parents  and  return  to  her  father's  house. 
But  there  was  scarcely  a  day  that  she  was  not 
back  in  her  more  familiar  haunts,  and  hearing 
her  lively  chatter  and  seeing  her  thus  con- 
stantly about,  Thoma  Kolomin  grew  as  uncon- 
sciously to  the  acceptance  of  her  as  he  did  to 
the  presence  of  the  more  stereotyped  furnish- 
ings of  the  place.  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  made 
no  difference  between  them  in  her  regard  and 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  119 

assumed,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  toward 
herself  and  toward  each  other  they  would  show 
the  usual  claim  of  common  blood. 

"You  owe  Sara  much,"  she  said  to  her  son; 
' '  she  has  kept  your  place  in  the  nest  warm  for 
you  while  you  were  outside  learning  to  use  your 
wings." 

"I  have  not  slighted  her,"  he  answered, 
"and  unless  she  demands  more  than  she  does 
now,  there  is  no  doubt  but  we  shall  come  on  in 
peace." 

But  it  was  a  matter  of  interest  to  him  that 
the  girl  should  have  been  able  to  creep  so  far 
into  his  parents*  hearts  and  he  studied  her, 
closely  if  quietly,  to  make  sure  for  himself 
wherein  her  power  of  fascination  lay.  That 
she  was  pretty,  he  made  no  effort  to  deny.  Her 
dark  eyes  gave  a  steadying  touch  to  her  warm 
hair  and  brilliant  complexion,  and  when  she 
opened  them  widely,  as  she  had  a  habit  of  doing 
as  her  interest  grew,  there  showed  in  them  such 
a  blaze  of  varying  and  significant  expression, 
that  he  found  himself  giving  his  attention  to 
it,  as  much  as  he  did  to  the  words  that  came  out 
from  her  lips. 

Perhaps   her   most   charming   characteristic 


120  HIS  WIFE 

lay  in  the  child-like  lightness  of  spirit  with' 
which  she  approached  the  difficult  things  of  life. 
But  not  being  able  always  to  follow  her  readily 
in  these  excursions,  the  young  man  continued 
to  find  her  inconsequence  a  too  emphatic  trait, 
and  failed  to  give  her  credit  for  the  strength  of 
character  which  really  lay  behind.  If  he  had 
ever  watched  her  dealings  with  his  father,  or 
stopped  to  think  how  completely  she  had  mas- 
tered him  himself,  that  first  day  in  the  church, 
he  might  more  easily  have  understood.  But  her 
frivolity  dazzled  even  while  it  amused  him,  and 
when  his  first  feeling  of  irritation  passed,  it 
was  only  to  be  replaced  by  a  half  contemptuous 
tolerance,  which  set  him  to  extend  to  her  the 
patronizing  deference  which  is  accorded  to  the 
opinions  of  a  child. 

But  Sara  Lukievna's  irresponsibility  was 
wholly  an  attitude  of  mind.  There  was  nothing 
in  the  ordinary  life  about  her  which  called  for  a 
melancholy  face,  and  behind  her  smiles  there 
were  depths  of  character  profound  enough  to 
match  bravely  all  the  deeper  needs  that  oppor- 
tunity or  accident  might  bring.  They  were  dis- 
tinct reserves,  though,  of  her  being  and  it  is 
scarcely  to  be  wondered  at  that  till  he  stumbled 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  121 

on  them  bluntly,  Thoma  Kolomin  should  not 
have  suspected  they  were  there. 

The  first  demonstration  came  to  him  in  the 
garden  which  Vassili  Balin  had  established  at 
the  house  at  the  gate.  The  young  man  had  hap- 
pened in  there  with  a  message  from  his  mother, 
and  found  Sara  Lukievna  outside  in  the  sun. 
She  was  standing  by  a  basket  improvised  into  a 
cradle  and  hung  from  a  slanting  pole  which 
had  its  fastening  behind  a  cleat  nailed  to  the 
house.  In  her  hands  there  was  a  branch  of 
willows  which  she  was  trying  to  fasten  to  the 
suspending  cord  so  that  it  would  come  as  a 
shade  between  the  face  of  the  child  that  lay 
below  and  the  already  high-risen  sun.  She 
heard  his  footsteps,  and  looked  around  at  him 
over  her  shoulder,  and  seeing  who  it  was,  she 
greeted  him  with  a  nod. 

"Oh,  I  am  glad  you  came!"  she  cried.  "I 
have  lost  all  the  patience  that  I  ever  had.  Come 
here  and  see  if  you  can  fasten  this  branch  on  so 
that  it  will  stay."  He  advanced  to  where  she 
was,  and,  after  studying  the  problem  gravely 
for  a  moment,  began  with  deft  fingers  to  per- 
form the  required  task. 

"My  mother  sent  for  you,"  he  said,  without 


122  HIS  WIFE 

taking  Ms  eyes  from  his  work.  ' '  She  is  getting 
out  the  clothing  for  the  summer,  and  wants  you 
to  come  and  pick  out  your  own  things."  The 
girl  gave  a  little  exclamation  of  regret. 

"Oh!"  she  said.  "Why  did  you  not  come 
and  tell  me  when  you  first  came  out  for  work? 
Lisa  is  away  now,  and  I  can  not  send  the  baby 
back  after  borrowing  him,  and  besides  I  prom- 
ised Vassili  that  I  would  watch  his  bees  for  him 
until  he  got  back  from  the  shore. ' '  The  young 
man  paused  and  looked  at  her  inquiringly,  and 
then  let  his  eyes  go  curiously  out  in  examina- 
tion around  the  garden  space. 

"The  baby  you  could  take  with  you,"  he  said 
thoughtfully,  "but  I  did  not  even  know  that 
there  were  bees  in  this  place." 

"Nobody  would  think  of  having  them  but 
Vassili,"  she  answered.  "He  has  two  hives 
now.  He  brought  the  first  one  from  the  other 
side  two  years  ago."  She  indicated  their  di- 
rection with  a  nod,  and  after  a  moment  he  dis- 
tinguished the  conical  straw-topped  boxes  set 
low  among  the  bushes  at  the  eastern  end. 

"But  why  do  you  have  to  watch  them?"  he 
said.  "I  supposed  that  they  did  fairly  without 
help." 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  123 

1  'So  they  do,  usually.  But  they  have  been 
queer  and  excited  all  the  morning,  and  Vassili 
was  worried  for  fear  that  they  were  going  to 
swarm.  Are  you  afraid  of  them?"  she  added, 
seeing  that  he  continued  to  look  irresolutely 
across  the  open  space.  He  smiled  and  toler- 
antly shook  his  head. 

"No,  not  afraid.  I  am  interested,  because  I 
know  nothing  of  their  ways." 

"Come  and  see  them,  then,"  she  said.  "They 
will  not  bother  you,  if  you  do  not  go  too  near." 
She  paused  to  pull  down  on  the  cord  which  held 
the  cradle  to  the  slanted  beam  so  that  the  box 
began  to  move  slowly  up  and  down,  and  with  a 
last  pat  to  the  covers  around  the  sleeping  child, 
she  left  him  and  led  the  way  across  the  garden 
to  the  hives. 

"There  is  the  one  for  the  new  swarm,  if  it 
comes,"  she  said,  pointing  to  a  third  box  which 
stood  a  little  space  apart.  "Vassili  got  it  ready 
yesterday,  so  as  not  to  be  unprepared."  She 
waited  while  he  examined  it,  and  then  went  on 
with  him  till  they  were  near  enough  to  the  other 
hives  plainly  to  see  the  bees. 

"The  one  on  the  right  is  the  one  I  have  to 
watch,"  she  said.  "The  other  one  is  weaker 


124  HIS  WIFE 

and  will  not  swarm  this  year."  He  followed 
her  explanations  attentively  and  stood  watch- 
ing the  busy  life  around  the  doorways  of  the 
boxes  with  interested  eyes. 

There  was  little  to  see  about  the  weaker  hive. 
Bees  were  coming  and  going  from  it  in  fairly 
regular  procession,  but  without  interference 
with  one  another  and  apparently  in  accordance 
with  some  preconcerted  plan.  But  in  front  of 
the  other  there  was  a  knot  of  excited  insects 
which  unraveled  and  moved  about  and  tangled 
together  again  aimlessly,  while  from  within  the 
hive  there  came  continuously  a  low  and  uneasy 
hum.  The  girl's  curiosity  inspired  her  and 
after  a  moment 's  listening  she  again  moved  for- 
ward. Thoma  Kolomin  began  to  follow  her, 
but  as  soon  as  she  noticed  it,  she  lifted  a  detain- 
ing hand. 

1 '  Stay  where  you  are, ' '  she  said.  1 1 1  am  used 
to  them  so  they  will  not  interfere  with  me,  but 
they  might  sting  you  if  you  came  too  close." 
He  obeyed  her  promptly  and  moved  back  to 
where  they  had  been  before.  The  girl  went 
boldly  forward  and  bent  attentively  above  the 
active  hive.  A  dozen  or  two  of  bees  rose  up  and 
circled  round  her  head,  but  she  paid  no  atten- 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  125 

tion,  and  after  a  moment 's  inspection  came  back 
to  where  he  stood. 

"There  are  more  out  now  than  there  were 
when  I  last  looked,"  she  said.  "I  believe  they 
are  really  going  to  swarm."  She  went  to  a 
shelf  against  the  wall  of  the  stockade  and  took 
down  a  pair  of  leathern  gloves  to  which  long 
gauntlets  of  cloth  had  been  attached.  These 
had  strings  fastened  to  their  upper  ends  and 
when  her  hands  were  properly  inside,  she  came 
to  him  and  held  out  her  arms. 

"Tie  these  for  me,"  she  said.  "I  like  the 
bees,  but  I  do  not  want  them  crawling  up  my 
sleeves."  He  was  clumsy  at  his  task,  and  she 
watched  him  with  amusement  in  her  eyes. 

"You  never  tied  anything  before  for  a  wo- 
man, did  you?"  she  said  demurely.  "At  least 
I  do  not  believe  you  ever  tied  anything  before 
for  a  woman  who  had  red  hair."  She  saw  the 
flush  start  in  his  cheeks,  but  this  time  there  was 
no  one  to  witness  his  discomfiture  and  he  stur- 
dily held  his  ground. 

"I  suppose  red  hair  does  make  one  more  im- 
patient," he  said  quietly.  "This  is  the  first 
time  that  I  ever  tied  anything  for  a  woman,  be- 
cause it  is  the  first  time  I  was  ever  asked." 


126  HIS  WIFE 


why  have  you  waited  to  be  asked?"  she 
demanded  promptly.  *  '  You  ought  to  know  with- 
out telling  when  there  is  a  need." 

"No,"  he  persisted.  "My  hair  is  dark,  and 
I  have  to  come  slowly  at  such  things  as  I  get." 
Her  hands  rested  frankly  against  him,  and  he 
could  not  but  feel,  as  he  smoothed  the  gauntlets 
down,  how  firm  and  full-muscled  her  arms  were 
underneath  her  sleeves.  The  recollection  of  her 
resolution  not  to  tease  him  came  suddenly  back 
to  Sara  Lukievna,  and  she  set  herself  to  make 
amends. 

"You  have  done  well,"  she  said  when  he  had 
let  her  go.  "With  a  few  more  lessons  I  shall 
not  be  afraid  to  recommend  you  to  any  woman 
in  the  post." 

"But  why  do  you  put  them  on  at  all?"  he 
said.  "If  the  bees  go  out,  you  can  do  nothing 
but  watch  them  till  Vassili  Balin  comes."  She 
turned  on  him  with  a  note  of  resolution  in  her 
voice. 

'  '  How  do  you  know  T  '  '  she  cried  defiantly.  '  '  I 
can  do  almost  as  much  with  them  as  Vassili  can, 
and  honestly  I  hope  he  will  not  get  back  till 
after  they  have  swarmed.  I  am  sure  he  would 
trust  me  with  them.  '  ' 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  127 

"Well,  I  think  you  are  going  to  have  your 
wish,"  he  said.  "They  are  starting  now,  if  I 
make  no  mistake."  The  girl's  whole  attention 
went  promptly  to  the  hive,  and  they  both  stood 
in  silence,  watching  breathlessly  the  develop- 
ment of  the  going  of  the  migrant  swarm.  Bees 
were  pouring  out  along  the  whole  front  of  the 
box  in  a  swift  and  continuous  stream,  and  as 
fast  as  they  came  to  the  edge  of  the  platform 
on  which  it  stood,  they  rose  in  the  air  and  began 
circling  round  and  round,  till  the  cloud  of  them 
looked  like  a  skein  of  tangled  thread.  Sara 
Lukievna's  quicker  eye  caught  the  first  evidence 
of  further  change. 

"There  they  go,"  she  cried  suddenly  and 
pointed  with  her  hand.  Thoma  Kolomin  fol- 
lowed the  direction  of  her  finger,  and  saw  that 
a  streamer  of  bees  had  detached  itself  from  the 
central  whorl  and  was  extending  out  across  the 
garden  in  the  direction  of  the  gate.  The  girl 
continued  to  watch  till  she  was  sure  there  was 
no  mistake. 

"Come,"  she  said,  "we  must  follow  them  till 
they  stop.  I  hope  they  will  not  go  beyond  the 
wall. ' '  She  walked  with  upturned  face  and  kept 
her  glance  along  the  line  of  flight  in  the  effort 


128  HIS  WIFE 

to  determine  by  thus  sighting  at  what  point  the 
swift  pilgrimage  would  end. 

1 ' They  are  flying  low,"  she  said.  "I  do  not 
think  they  will  go  far."  The  young  man's  eyes, 
too,  were  on  the  moving  swarm,  and  without 
answer  he  moved  along  with  her,  till  suddenly 
he  heard  her  give  a  startled  little  scream. 

' '  Oh,  the  baby ! ' '  she  cried,  and  went  forward 
with  a  rush.  His  eyes  came  promptly  down  to 
follow  her  and,  seeing  the  cause  for  her  alarm, 
he  broke  into  a  run. 

By  chance  the  bees'  line  of  progress  had 
passed  directly  over  the  child's  suspended  bed. 
The  branch  tied  to  the  rope  to  give  him  shade 
had  proved  attractive  as  a  clustering  spot,  and 
already  at  its  outer  end  there  was  collected  a 
good-sized  ball  of  bees.  Sara  Lukievna  was 
first  on  the  spot,  and  when  Thoma  Kolomin 
reached  it  she  was  turning  the  branch  to  one 
side  so  that  the  settling  insects  should  no  longer 
hang  over  the  bed.  She  moved  it  slowly  and 
with  great  care,  and  when  it  was  bent  so  that 
the  menacing  cluster  was  clear  of  the  cradle's 
edge,  she  turned  her  face  to  him  with  a  smile. 

"That  was  a  close  call,"  she  said.  "Take 
Sasha  up  before  he  comes  to  harm."  Bees 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  129 

which  had  lost  their  footing  and  dropped  from 
the  mass  above  were  crawling  on  the  coverlet 
around  the  child,  but  lifting  the  cloth  by  the 
edge  about  its  face,  the  young  man  shook  the 
insects  off  and  prepared  to  follow  her  com- 
mands. But  with  the  first  move  to  lift  the  baby 
up,  she  stopped  him  with  a  cry. 

"Wait,  wait!"  she  said.  "If  you  take  the 
weight  off  the  rope,  it  will  draw  the  branch  up 
suddenly  out  of  my  hands!"  He  let  go  the 
child,  and  raising  himself  looked  at  her  in  some 
perplexity. 

"There  is  a  bee  on  your  neck,"  he  said  irrele- 
vantly. "Shall  I  take  it  off!" 

"No,  it  will  go  away  of  itself  in  a  moment. 
Stoop  down  slowly,  without  appearing  to  make 
haste,  and  find  the  rocking  cord  and  put  it  on 
my  foot."  He  went  down  on  one  knee,  and 
taking  hold  of  the  foot-loop,  slipped  it  under- 
neath her  sole. 

"That  is  better,"  she  said.  "I  think  now 
you  can  take  Sasha  up." 

"What  shall  I  do  with  him?"  he  asked  when 
the  child  was  safely  in  his  arms.  The  unex- 
pected lifting  had  awakened  it,  and  it  began  to 
squirm  and  wriggle  in  his  grasp.  Sara  looked 


130  HIS  WIFE 

around  at  him,  and  in  spite  of  her  preoccupa- 
tion smiled. 

"Put  your  hand  underneath  His  back  and  he 
will  be  stiller,"  she  said.  "Do  not  drop  him! 
Take  him  into  the  house,  and  lay  him  in  the 
middle  of  the  first  bed  that  you  find."  She 
followed  him  with  her  glance  till  he  was  out  of 
sight,  and  when  he  came  back  she  still  had  a 
wicked  twinkle  in  her  eyes. 

"What  a  practical  godfather  you  are!"  she 
said  mischievously.  "I  am  proud  that  I  got 
you  for  the  child."  He  looked  sharply  at  her 
from  under  his  eyelids,  but  to  his  surprise  he 
found  in  himself  no  stir  of  the  old  irritation, 
and  with  a  frank  surrender  to  her  daring,  he 
laughed. 

"It  is  good  discipline  for  a  man,  I  suppose," 
he  admitted  guardedly.  "But  I  believe  there 
are  more  comfortable  places  to  learn  in  than 
your  school."  She  knew  then  she  was  forgiven, 
and  judiciously  let  the  subject  drop. 

"Come  here,"  she  said,  "and  cut  away  this 
branch.  The  bees  have  stopped  coming  and  I 
think  we  can  put  them  in  the  hive."  He  pro- 
duced a  knife  and  began  carefully  to  sever  the 
bond  which  bound  the  bough  end  to  the  rope. 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  131 

"Be  careful,"  she  said,  as  the  branch  began 
to  slip.  "  Loosen  it  without  jarring,  or  you  will 
have  them  all  off  on  the  ground."  It  was  a 
large  swarm,  and  in  finding  room  to  cling  it  had 
occupied  the  branch  to  where  she  held  it,  so  that 
it  covered  both  her  hands.  She  braced  herself 
as  he  cut  the  final  knots,  and  held  her  arms 
stiffly,  so  that  they  should  take  the  strain.  It 
took  more  effort  than  she  had  surmised  and 
finding  her  burden  sagging  downward,  she  gave 
a  quick  gasp  of  dismay.  The  weight  of  the 
bees  and  the  necessity  for  deliberate  movements 
appalled  her  for  the  moment. 

"You  will  have  to  help  me  somehow,"  she 
said  with  tense  precision.  "They  weigh  so 
much  I  can  not  hold  them  up."  He  looked  at 
the  bees,  and  then  at  his  own  bare  hands,  and 
with  a  sudden  inspiration  came  behind  her  and 
reaching  around  her  on  either  side,  took  hold  of 
her  arms  below  the  elbows,  so  as  to  brace  them 
against  the  strain. 

' '  That  will  help,  I  think, ' '  he  said.  ' '  Between 
us  we  ought  to  be  able  to  keep  them  from  going 
down."  It  gave  her  a  curious  feeling  to  find 
herself  thus  unexpectedly  in  his  arms.  For  a 
moment  she  stiffened  almost  unconsciously,  but 
her  sense  of  humor  saved  her,  and  she  threw 


132  HIS  WIFE 

back  her  head  so  as  to  gain  a  glimpse  of  him 
behind. 

"It  is  a  good  thing  I  am  not  fat,"  she  said 
mischievously.  "If  I  were  as  big  as  Masha, 
you  would  not  get  so  far  out  on  my  arms. ' '  He 
turned  his  face  to  one  side  so  as  to  avoid  her 
hair. 

"You  are  much  stronger  than  one  would 
think,"  he  said  quietly.  "No  one  could  long 
hold  out  a  load  at  arm's  length  like  that."  It 
was  his  first  commendation  of  her,  and  her  eyes 
began  to  dance. 

"Well,  let  us  get  rid  of  them  if  we  can,"  she 
said.  * 1 1  think  if  we  are  careful,  we  can  .take 
them  to  their  hive. ' ' 

"Go  as  you  like  and  I  will  follow  you,"  he 
answered,  and  starting  cautiously  they  moved 
in  slow  procession  to  the  appointed  place.  She 
paused  in  front  of  it  to  give  a  last  command  to 
her  helper. 

"That  hive  must  be  opened  so  that  I  can  get 
them  underside,"  she  said.  "If  you  are  quick, 
I  can  hold  them  while  you  turn  it  back."  He 
began  cautiously  to  withdraw  his  hands,  but  be- 
fore she  was  out  of  his  arms  there  was  a  step 
behind  them,  and  a  sudden  call. 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  133 

"Wait,  I  will  help,"  it  said,  and  the  girl  gave 
an  exclamation  of  relief. 

"It  is  Vassili,"  she  announced.  "There  will 
be  no  more  trouble  now."  The  old  man  passed 
by  them  without  speaking,  and  occupied  himself 
at  once  with  lifting  up  the  hive. 

"Put  them  under  here,"  he  said;  and  Sara 
Lukievna,  bending  forward  with  the  same  delib- 
erate caution  that  she  had  before  displayed, 
deposited  her  burden  on  the  platform  floor. 
Vassili  Balin  let  down  the  hive  until  it  almost 
rested  on  her  wrists. 

"Let  go  the  branch  now,  carefully,  and  take 
out  your  hands,"  he  said.  She  obeyed  him,  and 
as  she  drew  back,  he  brushed  down  the  bees 
that  clung  to  her  with  a  little  stick.  When  she 
was  clear,  she  straightened  herself,  and  stood 
watching  him  as  he  shook  and  cautiously  pulled 
out  the  branch.  Thoma  Kolomin  was  so  inter- 
ested that  he  remained  with  his  arms  around 
her,  holding  to  her  wrists,  and  following  with 
absorbed  attention  across  her  shoulder  all  that 
the  old  man  did.  Both  Vassili  Balin  and  the 
girl  remained  with  their  eyes  fixed  intently  on 
the  hive,  until  the  buzzing  of  the  swarm  inside 
changed  to  a  peculiar  whirring  hum.  Then  they 


134  HIS  WIFE 

looked  at  each  other  significantly  and  the  old 
man  nodded  his  head. 

"They  will  stay,"  he  said  with  a  smile,  and 
Sara  Lukievna  came  hack  to  her  ordinary  world. 
Twisting  her  head  slightly  so  she  could  see 
Thoma  Kolomin's  face,  she  looked  him  de- 
murely in  the  eyes. 

"Perhaps  you  had  better  let  me  go  now,"  she 
said.  "I  do  not  think  I  shall  need  further 
help."  His  hands  dropped  away  from  her  as 
if  the  words  had  given  him  some  sudden  shock. 
The  girl  turned  back  again  and  spoke  to  the  old 
man. 

"You  spoiled  my  plan  by  coming,"  she  said 
reproachfully.  "I  wanted  to  put  them  in 
alone."  Vassili  Balin  did  not  even  raise  him- 
self or  look  at  her,  but  remained  bent  above  his 
work. 

"It  takes  men  to  handle  bees,"  he  said  dryly. 

"Just  listen  to  him!"  burst  out  the  girl  in- 
dignantly. "  Pray,  what  do  you  call  Thoma 
Pavelovitch  here,  if  he  is  not  a  man?"  She 
turned  to  him  as  she  spoke,  with  a  wave  of  her 
open  hand.  But  the  words  were  still  in  her 
mouth  when  she  stiffened  suddenly  in  her  place, 
and  stood  as  if  planted,  her  mouth  open  and  her 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  135 

eyes  turned  on  the  young  man  in  a  most  tragic 
look  of  horror  and  surprise. 

"Oh!"  she  cried,  "Oh!"  And  before  he 
could  move  or  even  catch  his  breath,  her  hands 
swooped  down  and  clutched  convulsively  at  her 
clothing  just  below  her  knees,  and  with  a  knot  of 
it  held  out  from  her,  she  broke  away  from  them 
and  ran  like  a  whirlwind  toward  the  house. 
Vassili  Balin  watched  her  over  his  shoulder  till 
she  was  out  of  sight,  and  then  winked  knowingly 
at  the  younger  man. 

"That  comes  of  having  skirts,"  he  said  with 
a  grin.  "I  told  her  it  took  a  man  to  keep  clear 
of  the  bees." 

But  the  experience  with  the  swarming  was 
not  the  only  adventure  which  came  to  Sara  Lu- 
kievna  from  the  presence  of  the  insects  in  the 
yard.  It  was  perhaps  two  weeks  later,  that,  as 
she  was  busy  with  her  broom  in  the  front  part 
of  the  house,  there  was  a  tap  on  the  unlatched 
door,  it  swung  silently  inward,  and  she  saw 
there  was  a  woman  standing  on  the  step  out- 
side. 

She  recognized  her  at  once  as  the  mother  of 
one  of  the  otter  hunters  who  lived  in  a  small  cot- 
tage on  the  lower  ground.  The  woman  was  a 


136  HIS  WIFE 

new-comer,  and  the  girl  knew  her  more  by  her 
reputation  as  a  curer  of  ailments  and  adviser  in 
the  family  affairs  of  others  than  by  actual  ex- 
perience of  her  in  the  flesh.  She  paused  in  her 
sweeping,  and  nodded  to  her  visitor  with  a 
smile. 

"Good  morning,  little  mother,"  she  said. 
"Will  you  come  in?"  The  woman  remained 
with  her  hand  on  the  door,  as  she  had  pushed 
it  open,  and,  bending  forward,  looked  search- 
ingly  into  every  corner  of  the  room.  Seeing 
no  one  but  Sara  Lukievna,  she  shook  her  head 
silently  and  beckoned  to  the  girl  mysteriously 
with  her  hand.  Sara  Lukievna  hesitated  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  came  across  the  apartment  to 
the  door. 

"What  is  it  that  you  want?"  she  said  expect- 
antly. The  woman's  face  lit  with  a  fawning 
eagerness,  and  she  drew  the  girl  down  to  her, 
so  that  she  could  whisper  in  her  ear. 

"0  my  golden  beauty,  my  red  sun,"  she  said 
in  sibilant  undertone,  the  words  falling  over 
one  another  in  their  anxious  haste.  "My  heart 
told  me  from  the  beginning  that  you  would  be 
gentle  toward  me,  and  help  me  to  what  I  wish. ' ' 
The  girl  held  herself  as  she  was,  though  her 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  137 

eyes  lit  at  the  promise  of  adventure  and  she 
laughed  delightedly  aloud. 

1 '  You  give  me  a  real  thrill  with  your  secrecy, 
mother,"  she  said.  "What  is  it  that  you  de- 
sire 1 ' '  By  way  of  answer  the  woman  lifted  her 
hand  and  bent  back  her  head,  as  if  listening  to 
some  sound  outside.  She  began  to  describe 
slow  circles  with  her  uplifted  finger  in  the  air, 
accompanying  the  motion  with  a  low  humming 
murmur  in  her  throat.  Then  with  an  abrupt  re- 
turn of  attention,  she  stopped  and  put  her  fin- 
gers again  upon  the  other's  arm. 

* '  Seven, ' '  she  said  enigmatically.  *  *  I  will  find 
for  you  a  charm  and  you  shall  give  me  seven.  It 
is  a  good  charm,"  she  added  eagerly,  as  she  saw 
that  the  girl  did  not  promptly  speak.  Sara  Lu- 
kievna  was,  however,  simply  uncertain  what 
was  asked. 

"Is  it  bees  you  want?"  she  said  in  some  hes- 
itation; "seven  bees?"  The  woman's  face  lit 
responsively,  and  she  gave  the  girl's  arm  a  sud- 
den squeeze. 

"Yes,"  she  breathed. 

"Then  why  do  you  come  to  me  for  them?" 
asked  the  girl  curiously.  * '  They  are  everywhere 
outside  on  the  flowers."  The  woman's  mobile 


138  HIS  WIFE 

face  sobered,  and  there  came  into  it  again  some- 
thing of  its  first  appeal. 

'  *  You  will  not  refuse  me, ' '  she  said  coaxingly. 
"I  could  get  them,  yes,  my  proud  one,  but  what 
power  would  they  have  for  me,  if  they  did  not 
come  to  me  as  a  gift?  Think  of  the  charm," 
she  urged  insinuatingly,  "the  splendid  charm!" 
Sara  Lukievna  's  interest  kept  her  from  yielding 
too  ready  an  assent. 

"But  I  have  a  good  charm  already,"  she 
demurred;  "a  relic  charm  which  has  never  left 
my  neck  since  I  was  born. ' ' 

"Then  it  shall  be  a  fortune,"  broke  in  the 
woman  promptly.  "I  will  tell  it  for  you,  and 
you  shall  see  what  is  to  come." 

"I  think  I  might  like  to  know  that,"  returned 
the  girl  demurely.  "But  what  possible  use  can 
you  have  for  seven  bees?"  The  woman's  man- 
ner became  more  mysteriously  impressive  and 
her  voice  dropped  to  a  whisper  as  she  spoke. 

"They  will  take  the  word  for  me  to  the 
Mother  of  Bees, ' '  she  said.  * '  To-morrow  is  the 
one  day,  and  I  shall  send  a  greeting  to  her  by 
each  one."  The  girl  started  to  cross  herself, 
but  restrained  her  hand  and  turned  to  the  older 
woman  with  excited  eyes. 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  139 

"I  wish  I  could  see  it !"  she  said  breathlessly. 
' '  It  must  be  lovely  to  do  things  like  that ! ' '  The 
woman  vouchsafed  no  promise  to  the  sugges- 
tion, though  her  manner  implied  that  she  did  not 
refuse  the  request  outright. 

" Bring  me  the  bees,"  she  said  sententiously, 
' '  and  I  will  not  forget  to  tell  Her  that  you  made 
the  gift." 

"When  do  you  want  them?"  asked  the  girl. 

"To-morrow,  without  fail.  But  do  not  take 
them  too  early,  lest  they  have  to  go  on  their 
journey  with  empty  bags  upon  their  legs." 

"You  shall  have  them,"  returned  Sara  Lu- 
kievna  with  a  smile.  '  *  I  will  bring  them  to  you 
myself. ' ' 

She  delayed  the  capture  until  well  toward  the 
following  noon.  Then  with  her  prisoners  in  a 
covered  glass  she  came  to  Lisa  Fedorovna,  and 
asked  for  a  piece  of  the  blue  paper  in  which 
sugar  loaf  was  wrapped.  The  older  woman 
gave  it  to  her  and  watched  her  curiously  as  she 
twisted  it  into  a  cone  and  deftly  transferred  the 
bees  to  the  new  place. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  them?"  she 
.said  inquiringly. 

1 1  They  are  the  price  of  my  fortune, ' '  returned 


140  HIS  WIFE 

the  girl  lightly.  "A  baba  is  going  to  tell  it  for 
me  this  afternoon."  Lisa  Fedorovna's  brows 
drew  together  disapprovingly,  and  she  shook 
her  head  with  some  reserve. 

"That  is  hardly  Christian,  is  it?"  she  said 
slowly.  * l  Surely  you  do  not  believe  she  can  do 
a  thing  like  that!" 

"That  is  just  what  I  am  going  to  find  out," 
answered  the  girl  demurely.  "If  she  does  not 
tell  me  anything  worth  while,  there  will  be  noth- 
ing very  wicked  in  the  trying,  and  if  she  does, 
it  will  be  worth  the  penance  I  shall  have  to  do 
for  it,  when  I  confess  to  Father  Damian  at  the 
church."  But  the  girl's  casuistic  philosophy 
did  not  come  to  final  test,  for  during  the  after- 
noon she  developed  a  sudden  indisposition 
which  confined  her  temporarily  to  a  couch,  and 
made  impossible  the  keeping  of  her  word  about 
the  bees.  The  responsibility  for  the  failure, 
however,  preyed  upon  her  mind,  and  as  the 
afternoon  shadows  began  to  grow  long  in  the 
room,  she  stirred  uneasily,  and  put  aside  the  wet 
cloth  from  her  forehead  so  that  she  could  see. 

"Why  can  not  you  take  the  bees  to  the  baba 
for  me?"  she  said  to  Lisa  Fedorovna.  "I  gave 
her  my  word  that  she  should  have  them  without 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  141 

fail."  The  older  woman  looked  up  at  her 
thoughtfully. 

"I  do  not  mind  the  going,"  she  said  indul- 
gently, "but  why  not  wait  until  to-morrow, 
when  you  can  go  yourself?  She  will  not  tell 
your  fortune  to  any  one  hut  you." 

"That  is  true,"  said  the  girl;  "but  the  bees 
will  be  of  no  use  to  her  unless  they  go  to  her 
to-day,  and  if  they  do  not,  then  there  will  be  no 
fortune  told  for  me  at  all."  Lisa  Fedorovna 
shrugged  her  shoulders  deprecatingly,  but  she 
laid  aside  her  work. 

"Well,  I  shall  have  to  take  them  for  you,  I 
suppose,"  she  said  resignedly.  "But,  somehow, 
it  seems  such  a  foolish  thing  to  do."  She  did 
not  trouble  to  make  difference  in  her  dress,  but, 
drawing  her  shawl  about  her  head  like  a  peas- 
ant woman,  took  the  cone  with  its  now  quiet 
captives  and  set  out  upon  her  way. 

The  house  of  the  baba  stood  somewhat  apart 
from  the  others  of  the  settlement,  and  as  Lisa 
Fedorovna  approached  it,  she  could  see  the  for- 
tune-teller sitting  in  the  door.  The  woman  was 
evidently  watching  for  the  coming  of  Sara  Lu- 
kievna,  for  when  she  caught  sight  of  her  visitor 
she  got  eagerly  to  her  feet,  and,  shading  her 


142  HIS  WIFE 

eyes  with  her  hand,  looked  till  she  made  sure 
that  the  person  before  her  was  not  the  girl 
whom  she  expected,  when  she  again  sat  down. 
Lisa  Fedorovna  continued  her  advance  until  she 
stood  directly  before  the  seated  figure,  but  the 
baba  remained  with  her  hands  clasped  around 
her  knees,  and  vouchsafed  no  attention,  except 
that  her  eyes  raised  themselves  to  those  of  her 
visitor  in  a  sort  of  suspicious  challenge.  Lisa 
Fedorovna  spoke  at  once. 

"Sara  Lukievna  sent  me,"  she  said,  "to 
bring  the  bees  she  promised  you  to-day."  The 
woman  continued  to  stare  at  her  silently,  though 
her  eyes  lit  with  a  gleam  of  satisfaction  she 
could  not  conceal.  Then  she  stood  up,  and 
reaching  out  took  hold  of  Lisa  Fedorovna  by 
the  arm. 

"Come,"  she  said  under  her  breath,  and  drew 
her  visitor  after  her  across  the  sill.  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna responded  to  the  impulse  almost  without 
thinking,  but  once  inside  the  house,  she  stopped 
abruptly,  and  stood  to  look  quickly  round  the 
room. 

The  place  was  scrupulously  neat  and  airy,  and 
the  steep-pitched  roof  gave  it  a  special  sense  of 
spaciousness  and  height.  The  light  came  from 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  143 

a  narrow  window  at  one  side  and,  in  front  of 
this,  a  heavy  table  had  been  set.  Besides  this, 
beyond  a  chair  or  two  the  apartment  was  con- 
spicuously barren  of  all  furnishings,  and  the 
only  thing  that  was  unusual  in  its  aspect  was 
that  above  the  lamp-shelf,  where  the  icon  should 
have  hung,  instead  of  a  holy  picture  there  was 
a  forked  branch  of  fir. 

The  baba  waited  with  shrewd,  half-closed 
eyes,  on  the  process  of  her  visitor's  orientation. 
Then,  with  the  assured  motion  of  one  who  has 
the  right,  she  leaned  forward  and  took  the  blue 
cone  from  Lisa  Fedorovna  's  hands. 

"I  promised  the  girl  a  fortune,"  she  said 
abruptly.  "Why  did  she  not  come  for  it  her- 
self?" 

"She  was  ill  and  could  not,"  responded  the 
other  promptly.  "She  is  hoping  that  you  will 
let  her  come  to  you  some  other  time."  The 
baba's  eyes  dropped  to  the  floor  abstractedly, 
and  shaking  the  cone  gently  she  held  it  to  her 
ear. 

"  I  do  not  forget  a  service, ' '  she  said  proudly. 
"She  has  my  word  that  the  fortune  will  be 
told."  She  stood  irresolutely  for  a  moment, 
giving  her  attention  to  the  sounds  from  within 


144  HIS  WIFE 

the  cone.  Then,  with  a  swift  abruptness  that 
was  as  compelling  as  a  command,  she  raised 
her  eyes  again  to  Lisa  Fedorovna  's  face. 

' '  And  you ! ' '  she  said.  '  *  What  is  it  that  you 
expect?"  Lisa  Fedorovna  met  the  look  frankly 
and  her  lips  parted  in  a  smile. 

"I  expect  nothing,  mother,"  she  said.  "I 
came  only  to  bring  the  bees  to  you  for  the 
child."  The  woman's  exploring  gaze  continued 
fastened  on  her,  as  if  it  were  searching  down 
into  her  very  soul,  and  her  mobile  face  lit  with 
an  unexpected  interest. 

"Why  should  you  not  ask,"  she  said,  "when 
there  is  that  in  your  life  concerning  which  you 
can  never  have  peace  until  you  know?"  A  sud- 
den flush  of  color  swept  over  Lisa  Fedorovna 's 
face  at  the  unexpectedness  of  the  suggestion, 
but  she  answered  with  a  smile  and  a  fairly  even 
voice. 

"Even  if  there  could  be  an  answer,"  she  said, 
"I  have  no  claim  on  you  which  gives  me  the 
right  to  ask  it  at  your  hands."  The  woman 
made  a  quick  gesture  of  impatience,  and  came 
so  close  that  her  eager  face  was  almost  against 
Lisa  Fedorovna 's  own. 

"You  are  the  woman  who  does  not  go  for 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  145 

confession  to  the  priest,"  she  said  shrewdly. 
Lisa  Fedorovna  made  affirmative  answer, 
though  the  response  was  with  her  eyes  rather 
than  with  her  voice.  The  baba  's  face  lit  with  a 
gleam  of  satisfaction. 

"I  am  another,"  she  said  simply,  as  if  the 
dubious  distinction  formed  for  the  two  of  them 
some  sort  of  bond.  Lisa  Fedorovna  made  no 
objection  to  the  claim,  though  she  showed  no 
interest  in  the  woman 's  proffered  aid. 

"If  I  had  believed  that  you  could  help  me, 
mother,"  she  said  wistfully,  "I  should  have 
been  on  my  knees  to  you  the  moment  I  came  in. 
I  have  no  faith  that  any  one  can  tell  beforehand 
the  things  that  are  to  come."  The  baba  bent 
to  her  with  a  swift  look  of  sympathy. 

"I  know,"  she  said,  "how  many  times  the 
message  is  not  clear.  But  what  would  you  do 
if  I  told  to  you  the  truth?"  Lisa  Fedorovna 
drew  in  her  breath  in  a  sharp  panic  of  dismay. 

"I  should  not  want  to  hear  it,"  she  cried  re- 
sentfully. l '  Mine  is  a  trouble  which  belongs  to 
me  alone. ' '  The  baba  laid  her  hand  soothingly 
on  the  other's  arm. 

"Will  my  knowledge  be  less  because  you  do 
not  listen?"  she  said  gently.  "And  even  if  the 


146  HIS  WIFE 

truth  prove  bitter,  is  not  certainty  better  than 
suspense?"  Lisa  Fedorovna  shook  her  head 
stubbornly,  but  the  woman  did  not  wait  for  her 
to  speak,  but  drew  her  half-resisting  to  the  table 
across  the  room. 

' '  Stand  there, ' '  she  said  with  quiet  authority. 
"I  can  be  stopped  at  any  time  when  you  have 
heard  enough."  There  was  that  in  the  fortune- 
teller's manner  which  imposed  itself  indisputa- 
bly on  Lisa  Fedorovna 's  will  and  she  remained 
where  she  had  been  placed,  and  watched  rebel- 
liously  the  woman's  preparations  for  the  spell. 

They  were  so  simple  that  their  accomplish- 
ment scarcely  brought  a  thrill.  The  fortune- 
teller set  the  bees  carefully  to  one  side,  and 
spread  the  table  with  a  white  linen  cloth.  Then 
from  a  chest  of  drawers,  she  brought  a  wooden 
box  with  brass  ears  at  the  corners  to  which 
were  fastened  leathern  thongs.  These  she  knot- 
ted together  and  caught  up  with  a  cord  which 
hung  loosely  from  the  rafter  overhead,  so  that 
the  box  remained  suspended  above  the  table  at 
an  even  height. 

She  touched  it  here  and  there  to  stop  the 
motion  and  blew  lightly  across  the  lid,  as  if  to 
drive  away  some  lingering  trace  of  dust.  This 


LISA'S  FOETUNE  147 

done,  she  retired  a  step  from  the  table  and 
stood  with  her  hands  clasped  loosely  in  front  of 
her  and  her  eyes  fixed  steadfastly  on  the  box, 
until  it  lost  its  weaving  motion  and  came  to 
perfect  rest.  Then  she  turned  to  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna  with  serious  eyes. 

"Everything  is  ready,*'  she  said  gravely. 
"It  will  be  only  a  short  time  now  till  you  will 
know."  She  did  not  wait  for  an  answer,  but 
moved  swiftly  across  the  room  to  the  holy  cor- 
ner, and  stood  with  her  back  to  Lisa  Fedorovna, 
her  right  hand  lifted  and  her  face  reverently 
upturned  to  the  branch  above  the  icon  lamp. 

The  invocation  lasted  but  a  moment,  and  she 
came  back  to  the  table  and  began  to  turn  the 
box  round  and  round,  from  left  to  right,  so  as  to 
put  a  twist  in  the  suspending  cord.  From  time 
to  time  she  tested  the  process  by  lifting,  to  see 
if  relieved  of  the  box 's  weight  the  spiral  tension 
would  draw  the  tether  into  knots.  When  the 
limit  of  the  strain  seemed  reached,  she  paused 
with  the  box  held  stiffly  between  her  hands  and, 
turning  her  head  slowly,  let  her  eyes  rest  search- 
ingly  on  the  woman  who  was  looking  on. 

Lisa  Fedorovna  had  been  conscious  from  the 
first  of  how  tall  and  gaunt  the  woman  was,  and 


148  HIS  WIFE 

of  the  vague  distinction  of  authority  given  her 
by  her  aquiline  profile  and  high  thin  cheeks. 
But  as  the  baba  faced  her  now  with  the  spirit  of 
supernatural  possession  burning  in  her  eyes,  she 
was  conscious  that  the  glance  fixed  itself  on  her 
with  a  new  and  compelling  sense  of  power. 

The  look  was  like  a  command  in  its  peremp- 
tory challenge  for  surrender,  and  she  was  con- 
scious within  her  of  a  sudden  panicky  fear,  lest, 
in  spite  of  her  resistance,  the  creature's  eyes 
would  force  the  barrier  of  her  disinclination, 
and  explore  the  secrets  of  her  most  hidden 
thought.  Her  whole  personality  cried  out 
against  the  unwelcome  intrusion,  and  with  a 
quick  indrawing  of  the  breath,  she  gathered  her- 
self for  a  defense.  But  before  she  could  put  her 
outcry  into  words,  the  woman  withdrew  her 
glance,  her  head  turned  slowly  back,  and  she 
bent  again  above  the  box  with  such  absolute  ab- 
sorption that  the  watcher  stopped  where  she 
was,  with  the  baffled  sense  that  for  the  time  at 
least  the  opportunity  for  protest  had  somehow 
slipped  away. 

The  resentment,  however,  still  burned  uncom- 
fortably in  her  heart,  the  more  so  that  there 
began  to  stir  in  her  mind  the  uncomfortable  fear 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  149 

that  perhaps  the  woman  did  have  in  her  some 
measure  of  the  power  she  claimed.  It  was  an 
unpleasant  thought,  and  she  struggled  to  keep 
it  from  her,  holding  herself  alert  to  repel  as- 
saults on  the  citadel  of  her  reserve,  and  watch- 
ing the  divination  with  a  fascination  which  lay 
between  hope  and  fear.  The  baba  meanwhile 
gave  her  no  further  attention,  but  absorbed  her- 
self wholly  in  the  weaving  of  her  spell. 

She  had  let  go  of  the  box,  and  it  was  turning 
slowly  round  with  the  untwisting  of  the  cord. 
At  the  same  time  she  set  open  an  orifice  in  the 
bottom  of  the  receptacle,  so  that  its  contents 
began  to  sift  down  on  to  the  table  in  a  black, 
whirling  cloud.  At  first  Lisa  Fedorovna  could 
not  distinguish  what  this  substance  was  which 
fell.  But  as  it  settled  on  the  white  cloth  and 
showed  more  clearly  in  the  light  she  saw  that 
the  stream  was  made  up  of  some  sort  of  seeds, 
flat  and  small,  and  so  light  that  the  turn  of  the 
box  gave  them  a  hesitant  motion  as  they  fell. 

From  the  time  that  the  vent  was  opened,  the 
baba  forgot  the  world,  and  her  eyes  remained 
glued  to  the  uneven  pattern  which  laid  itself 
upon  the  cloth.  She  held  herself  stiffly,  but  her 
nervous  hands  went  fluttering  out  around  the 


150  HIS  WIFE 

falling  spirals,  following  their  course  as  if  she 
were  molding  them  according  to  a  plan  and  con- 
ducting them  safely  to  their  place  upon  the 
cloth.  At  the  same  time,  she  began  to  talk  in 
an  undertone,  muttering  unintelligibly  to  herself 
and  punctuating  her  speech  with  staccato  excla- 
mations, as  her  eager  fingers  interpreted  un- 
expected curves. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  the  box  came  fully 
to  a  stop,  but  the  baba's  patience  was  unflag- 
ging, and  her  eyes  continued  to  challenge  the 
kaleidoscopic  pattern,  till  the  last  seed  was 
down.  Assured  of  this,  she  bent  still  lower,  her 
head  held  to  one  side  so  that  it  would  avoid  the 
box,  and  commenced  with  renewed  animation 
the  study  of  the  pattern  as  a  whole.  She  left 
the  design  to  itself,  however,  beyond  touching  it 
here  and  there  inquiringly  with  her  ringers  and 
brushing  into  little  heaps  along  the  edges  outly- 
ing whorls  of  seed  which  seemed  to  have  no  con- 
nection with  the  general  plan. 

Suddenly  she  stopped,  with  the  thumb  and 
finger  of  one  hand  held  on  adjacent  spots,  her 
glance  running  anxiously  over  the  remainder 
of  the  cloth,  as  if  in  search  of  something  that 
was  lacking  to  her  mind.  Then,  with  a  cry  of 


LISA'S  FOETUNE  151 

satisfaction,  she  discovered  what  she  sought, 
and,  fixing  it  with  the  index  finger  of  her  other 
hand,  for  the  first  time  since  she  began  upon 
her  conjuring,  she  spoke  intelligibly  aloud. 

"I  can  see,"  she  said  with  sudden  eagerness, 
' '  but  it  is  a  far  place — too  far ! ' '  The  woman 
who  was  watching  her  was  startled  by  the  un- 
expected announcement,  and  moved  impulsively 
to  one  side,  so  that  she  could  get  a  better  view 
of  the  speaker's  face. 

"What  is  it!"  she  breathed.  "What  is  it 
that  you  see?"  The  baba  paid  no  attention  to 
the  interruption,  but  lifted  her  forefinger  from 
where  it  had  been  placed,  and  after  a  moment's 
indecision  set  it  decidedly  on  another  spot. 

"There  is  a  house,"  she  announced  dreamily, 
"and  a  place  with  trees,  and  people,  and  a 
stranger  who  comes,  and  sunshine,  and  laugh- 
ing, and — when  the  stranger  took  your  hands 
you  shrank  and  were  afraid."  If  she  had 
looked  at  Lisa  Fedorovna  she  would  have  seen 
how  mercilessly  her  revelation  had  set  out  the 
truth.  The  younger  woman  had  waited  toler- 
antly on  the  divination,  braced  by  the  convic- 
tion that  her  secrets  would  surely  be  beyond 
the  woman's  power  to  read.  Her  unexpected 


152  HIS  WIFE 

approach  to  them  came  to  Lisa  Fedorovna  with 
a  shock  which  took  away  her  breath. 

"No,  no!"  she  cried  chokingly,  and  put  out 
her  hand.  But  the  baba  did  not  hear  her  and 
remained  bent  above  the  table  as  before.  Her 
hands  moved  farther  along  in  the  maze  of  seeds, 
and  she  went  back  again  and  again  over  the 
same  ground,  beginning  where  she  had  spoken 
last,  and  moving  slowly  and  patiently  forward 
to  a  point  beyond  which  perplexity  would  not 
let  her  go.  Finally  she  paused,  and  straighten- 
ing her  back,  spoke,  with  her  hands  still  on  the 
table  space. 

' '  It  was  a  great  struggle  and  a  long  one, ' '  she 
said,  "but  it  was  the  awakening  of  your  soul  to 
life.  You  were  right  in  making  choice,  for  you 
followed  the  dictates  of  your  heart.  It  was  not 
you  who  acted,  but  the  Powers  that  willed  it, 
and  sent  to  you  the  call. ' '  She  paused  with  her 
eyes  half  closed,  as  if  in  introspection,  and  then 
went  on  with  an  almost  apologetic  air, 

"It  is  a  long  way  from  there  to  here,  and 
there  are  many  things  to  see,  if  they  were  not 
so  dim.  As  it  is  I  see  something  like  a  wedding, 
and  a  journey,  and  a  time  to  wait.  But  over  it 
all  there  is  sorrow  and  a  shadow  that  in  some 


LISA'S  FORTUNE  153 

places  hangs  as  black  as  the  shadow  of  death." 
She  stopped  abruptly  and  raised  her  head 
sharply  with  a  quick  opening  of  her  eyes. 
"Wait — "  she  said  as  if  a  new  idea  had  come 
to  her,  "of  death?" 

She  bent  eagerly  to  the  table,  and  her  hands 
began  to  run  with  increasing  speed  over  the 
pattern  until  they  fairly  flew.  Her  interest 
grew  with  the  interpretation  until  it  was  near  to 
frenzy  as  she  worked,  and  her  breath  began  to 
come  in  convulsive  little  gasps.  She  had  the 
air  of  one  who  holds  out  stoutly  against  a  con- 
viction which  was  unwelcome,  but  as  she  pro- 
ceeded, her  manner  changed  subtly  from  doubt 
to  the  certainty  of  one  convinced  against  her 
hope.  With  a  shuddering  gesture  of  the  body, 
she  raised  her  head  and  turned  on  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna  with  a  look  which  was  so  full  of  horror 
and  accusation  that  it  was  beyond  the  latter 's 
strength  to  bear.  Lisa  Fedorovna  shrank 
under  it  as  if  she  had  been  struck,  and  with  an 
outbreathing  that  was  almost  a  scream,  she 
plunged  forward  and  caught  the  baba  in  her 
arms. 

"You  shall  not!"  she  cried.  "I  will  not  hear 
the  rest!"  The  woman  struggled  wildly  and 


154  HIS  WIFE 

strove  to  break  away.  But  Lisa  Fedorovna, 
reaching  by  her,  caught  at  the  table-cloth,  so 
that  she  dragged  it  off  on  to  the  floor. 

* '  You  can  not  do  it  now ! ' '  she  cried  triumph- 
antly, and  thrusting  the  woman  from  her  with 
such  force  that  only  her  falling  against  the  table 
saved  her  from  going  down,  she  whirled  and 
fled  wildly  from  the  room. 


CHAPTER  VI 

LTTKA'S  EYES  ABE  OPENED 

Pavel  Kolomin  waited  in  vain  for  visible 
proof  of  the  reconciliation  between  husband 
and  wife  which  he  had  so  earnestly  desired. 
But,  in  a  way  of  which  he  had  not  dreamed, 
the  seed  that  he  had  planted  found  root  in  fer- 
tile ground.  The  sense  of  justice,  awakened 
when  he  had  first  been  spoken  to  about  the  mat- 
ter, stirred  subtly  in  Luka  Strukof's  brain, 
quickening  him  steadily  to  the  conviction  that 
he  was  indeed  not  giving  to  the  woman  who 
shared  his  lot  as  generous  a  measure  of  devo- 
tion as  she  dealt  out  to  him. 

As  was  usual  with  him,  the  idea  was  a  long 
time  in  coming  to  the  point  of  definite  recogni- 
tion in  his  mind.  But  the  beginnings  once  es- 
tablished, the  advance  was  sure  and  every  day 
brought  new  conviction  of  the  truth.  He  dis- 
covered himself  moved  to  uneasiness  when,  on 
return,  he  found  her  absent  from  the  house.  It 

155 


156  HIS  WIFE 

began  to  stir  him  with  a  vague  sense  of  loneli- 
ness to  see  her  above  him  on  the  bluff,  outlined 
against  the  windy  sky,  and  it  came  to  him  with 
a  rush  of  accusation  that  her  shoulders  were 
bent  and  her  step  listless  as  she  went  about  her 
work. 

It  was  characteristic  of  the  man,  however, 
that  even  when  the  conviction  became  certain 
in  his  mind,  it  did  not  move  him  to  act  promptly 
toward  making  the  matter  right.  He  was  con- 
scious of  his  fault  and  burdened  by  it,  but  the 
galling  of  the  load  was  net  sufficiently  uncom- 
fortable to  spur  him  to  its  immediate  setting 
«down.  Yet  the  sting  of  it  awakened  in  him  a 
new  attentiveness  toward  Lisa  Fedorovna, 
even  where  he  made  no  definite  decision  that 
he  would  be  kind. 

Almost  unconsciously,  he  found  himself  lin- 
gering at  his  midday  meal,  that  he  might  be 
with  her  for  the  longer  time.  More  than  once  he 
was  prompted  to  the  use  of  tender  speech,  that 
he  might  see  the  lovely  flood  of  color  it  brought 
up  in  her  cheeks.  He  fell  to  doing  for  her  the 
multitude  of  little  things  that  take  the  drudg- 
ery from  women's  work.  His  feet  wandered 
more  and  more  into  hitherto  untried  pathways 


LUKA'S  EYES  ABE  OPENED       157 

of  her  life,  and  these  signs  multiplied  in  kind, 
until,  at  last,  without  consent,  his  miracle  stood 
worked  in  him,  and  he  recognized  that  he  had 
fallen  in  love  with  his  wife. 

But  when  the  knowledge  came,  it  was  with  no 
burst  of  revelation  so  that  he  knew  that  it  was 
sure.  He  was  conscious  in  a  shamefaced  way 
that  Lisa  Fedorovna's  eyes  had  begun  to  appeal 
to  him  with  an  unexpected  power.  He  discov- 
ered that  there  was  a  new  thrill  of  happiness 
for  him  in  the  sudden  touch  of  her  hand.  But 
the  fitting  together  of  these  things,  so  that  the 
pattern  should  be  complete,  could  only  be  the 
work  of  time ;  and  it  was  not  till  the  snows  were 
down,  and  they  had  come  close  to  the  day  of  the 
cold  St.  George,  that  the  final  illumination 
came. 

He  had  been  moody  and  disinclined,  so  that 
the  commandant  noticed  that  he  was  listless  at 
his  work.  From  the  time  of  their  talk,  there 
had  come  to  be  a  certain  renewal  of  the  old  fel- 
lowship between  the  two,  and  Pavel  Kolomin 
was  moved  to  pity  as  he  noted  the  man's  white 
face  and  shaking  hands  as  he  went  about  his 
work. 

"Why  do  you  not  go  more  into  the  open?" 


158  HIS  WIFE 

he  said  abruptly.  "You  will  be  a  dead  man,  if 
you  stay  here  always  in  the  house."  Luka 
Strukof  paused  with  his  pen  on  the  word  he 
had  been  writing,  and  looked  up  at  the  com- 
mandant with  a  twinkle  of  amusement  in  his 
eyes. 

"And  what  would  you  do  with  the  work  here 
if  I  did?"  he  said  quietly. 

"Better,  perhaps,  than  if  you  go  on  and  kill 
yourself,  so  that  in  the  end  I  have  it  all  to  do,  *  ' 
returned  the  other  bluntly.  Luka  Antonovitch 
laughed,  and  threw  back  his  hair. 

"It  will  not  be  as  bad  as  that,"  he  said  dep- 
recatingly.  "And  until  it  is,  you  will  get  more 
out  of  me  with  a  pen  than  with  any  work  that  I 
could  do  outside." 

"I  do  not  know  about  that,"  said  the  com- 
mandant thoughtfully,  "but  it  seems  to  me  to 
be  a  thing  that  I  should  rather  like  to  test.  Put 
up  your  accounts,  man,  and  get  something 
warmer  on  your  feet.  I  have  in  mind  to  give 
you  a  taste  of  the  snow  outside,  and  it  is  no 
place  for  comfort  without  heavy  boots. '  * 

"But  I  can  not  work  outside,  Pavel  Pavelo- 
vitch.  It  is  not  my  way." 

"You  will  do  it  as  well  as  the  man  whose 


LUKA'S  EYES  ABE  OPENED      159 

place  you  are  going  to  take.  Sanka  Pronin  has 
hurt  his  foot,  and  I  want  you  to  make  his  round 
back  by  the  lake.  It  is  only  patrol  work  and 
requires  nothing  more  than  sharp  eyes  and 
steady  legs."  Luka  Antonovitch  looked  up  in 
quick  surprise. 

"Patrol  work!"  he  said.  "I  did  not  even 
know  there  was  a  need."  The  commandant's 
face  set  gravely  and  he  held  his  breath  a  mo- 
ment before  he  spoke. 

"It  has  not  been  spoken  of  outside,"  he  said 
in  a  lower  tone,  "but  there  have  again  been 
losses  at  the  traps,  and  for  two  weeks  I  have 
been  having  the  line  patrolled."  Luka  Stru- 
kof 's  eyes  lit  in  comprehension,  and  he  gravely 
nodded  his  head. 

"My  boots  are  here,"  he  said  quietly.  "In 
five  minutes  I  shall  be  on  the  road."  The  com- 
mandant waited  until  he  was  prepared  and 
went  with  him  outside. 

' '  There  are  four  traps  to  look  out  for  between 
here  and  the  lake, ' '  he  said ;  * '  and  one  more  on 
the  north  side,  across  the  shallow  arm.  The 
first  one  is  in  the  little  meadow  just  after  you 
leave  the  river  at  the  second  turn.  The  others 
follow  pretty  regularly  at  intervals  of  half  a 


160  HIS  WIFE 

verst.  You  will  find  the  walking  heavy  even  in 
the  beaten  trail,  but  Pronin  told  me  the  ice  was 
strong  enough  on  the  arm  to  save  the  detour 
going  round." 

It  was  with  a  distinct  sense  of  elation  that 
Luka  Strukof  set  out  upon  his  task.  Since  that 
other  day,  when  his  loyalty  had  been  questioned 
by  the  commandant,  though  there  had  been  full 
cordiality  in  his  intercourse  with  his  superior^ 
there  had  been  nothing  more.  He  had  shared  in 
all  the  routine  in  which  his  work  as  an  account- 
ant naturally  gave  him  part.  But  at  this  point 
the  limit  had  been  set,  and  the  commandant  had 
allowed  himself  no  mention  in  his  presence  of 
the  more  intimate  and  private  things  connected 
with  the  conduct  of  the  post.  His  selection  for 
duty  so  eminently  confidential  marked  in  his 
mind  a  return  toward  his  old  estate. 

He  felt  that  the  eyes  of  the  commandant  were 
following  him,  even  when  he  was  well  upon  the 
way.  He  did  not  look  back,  but  went  swiftly 
ahead  till  he  was  outside  the  confines  of  the 
town.  Then  he  paused  for  a  moment  as  if  to 
gather  himself  to  a  fuller  realization  of  the 
wider  outlook  which  had  come  to  him,  and  stood 
looking  eagerly  around. 


LUKA'S  EYES  ARE  OPENED       161 

There  had  been  a  four  days'  storm,  and  the 
ice  of  the  river,  the  ground  and  the  trees  and 
shrubs  around  him,  were  white  with  feathery 
snow.  It  lay  over  everything  in  broad  un- 
broken drifts.  The  woods  were  choked  with  it, 
and  even  the  rock  faces  of  the  mountain  at  the 
end  of  the  canyon  beyond  the  lake  were  blank- 
eted to  the  top  with  the  thick  fleecy  folds. 

With  the  exception  of  the  green  of  the  firs, 
and  an  occasional  rift  of  blue  that  showed  be- 
tween the  clouds  above  the  mountain  line,  there 
was  not  a  touch  of  color  either  in  earth  or  sky. 
The  air  was  absolutely  still,  and,  in  all  the  ex- 
panse around  him,  his  eye  rested  on  no  single 
thing  that  moved  or  was  alive. 

For  a  moment  the  peace  of  the  place,  its  calm 
serenity,  moved  him  to  a  sense  of  restfulness 
that  was  a  keen  delight.  But  only  for  a  mo- 
ment. The  desolateness  of  it  all,  the  coldness, 
the  sharp  lack  of  color,  stole  in  upon  him  all 
unconsciously,  and  he  found  himself  looking 
wistfully  back  toward  the  human  habitations  he 
had  left  behind. 

The  stockade  and  houses  were  hidden  by  the 
trees,  but  the  smoke  from  the  chimneys  rose  up 
above  them  in  high  blue  lines,  and  stood  like 


162  HIS  WIFE 

signals  to  mark  the  location  of  the  desired  land. 
He  watched  the  motionless  columns  almost  eag- 
erly, striving  to  discover  from  their  position 
which  one  belonged  to  his  own  house  at  the  gate. 
This  brought  him  to  another  train  of  thought, 
and  his  eye  went  searching  the  bare  summit  of 
the  bluff,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  come  upon 
the  figure  of  Lisa  Fedorovna  in  her  customary 
place.  But  the  sky-line,  too,  as  far  as  he  could 
see,  was  empty  of  all  life.  After  a  lingering 
moment,  he  came  back  to  the  matter  he  had  in 
hand  and  with  a  sigh  went  slowly  out  again 
along  his  appointed  road. 

The  first  and  second  traps  he  found  without 
difficulty,  and  noted  with  satisfaction  that  they 
were  still  as  they  were  when  they  had  first  been 
set.  The  third  lay  back  in  a  little  hollow  and 
was  more  difficult  to  see.  When  he  did  locate 
it,  it  required  only  the  most  casual  glance  to 
discover  that  it  had  been  disturbed. 

The  trap  was  empty  and  unset,  but  the 
trampled  snow  beneath  it  and  a  stain  of  blood 
that  lay  upon  the  white,  gave  witness  that  some 
furry  captive  had  within  a  short  time  been 
gripped  within  its  jaws.  It  was  equally  plain 
that  the  prisoner  was  no  longer  there ;  and,  thia 


LUKA'S  EYES  AEE  OPENED       163 

once  established,  Luka  Strukof's  eyes  lifted 
and  went  searching  hurriedly  around. 

He  knew  that  the  removal  had  not  been  regu- 
lar, for,  if  it  had,  the  snow  beneath  the  snare 
would  have  been  smoothed  again  and  the  trap 
reset  for  further  catch.  In  his  excitement,  he 
stepped  suddenly  back  and  the  crack  of  a 
branch,  as  his  foot  pressed  down  upon  it, 
startled  him  so  that  he  almost  cried  aloud. 

For  a  moment  he  stood  rigidly  erect,  his 
glances  darting  from  one  to  another  of  the  cov- 
erts round  about.  He  saw  no  danger,  however, 
and  after  a  breathing  space  came  back  to  the 
problem  he  had  in  hand.  The  stick  on  which 
he  had  stepped  lay  on  the  surface,  entirely  clear 
of  snow,  and  must  have  been  brought  to  its 
present  position  from  some  thicket,  since  the 
storm.  He  stooped  to  examine  it,  and  guessed, 
from  the  marks  on  the  larger  end,  that  it  had 
been  used  to  pry  apart  the  jaws  of  the  trap  so 
as  to  take  the  imprisoned  captive  out. 

No  further  traces  of  the  marauder  showed, 
except  that  here  and  there  he  found  fresh  foot- 
prints in  the  snow.  These  afforded  him  no  in- 
formation from  their  shape  and  the  only  thing 
unusual  about  them  was  that,  besides  the 


164  HIS  WIFE 

jumble  of  them  near  the  trap,  they  went  in  a 
distinct  circle  round  and  round  it  at  a  distance 
of  some  feet.  The  trampled  line  of  it  was  made 
plainer  by  a  broad  band  of  scratches  in  the 
snow,  which  followed  with  the  footprints  and 
over  them,  as  if  the  person  making  them  had 
dragged  some  burden  after  him  as  he  went. 

"His  bag  was  heavy,"  he  thought  with  a 
grim  smile.  "He  had  been  elsewhere  before 
coming  here." 

Satisfied  that  there  was  no  more  to  see,  he 
went  on  again  along  the  trail,  listening  for 
sounds  and  challenging  sharply  with  his  eyes 
each  approaching  bush  and  tree.  His  pace 
quickened  involuntarily  as  he  came  to  the  place 
where  the  fourth  trap  was  set,  but  approach  to 
it  brought  to  him  no  new  alarms. 

It  lay  in  its  place  untouched,  the  jaws  open 
and  the  bait  half  hidden  by  the  fresh-fallen 
snow.  But  about  it  there  were  footsteps,  as 
there  had  been  at  the  one  before;  and  with  small 
speculation  Luka  Antonovitch  understood  that 
the  intruder  had  been  here,  too,  before  him,  but 
finding  no  booty,  had  passed  on.  He  went  on 
cautiously  with  senses  well  alert,  nursing  the 
hope  that  he  would  come  upon  the  robber  before 


LUKA'S  EYES  AEE  OPENED       165 

he  reached  the  final  trap.  Forewarned  by  the 
knowledge  of  what  he  might  expect,  he  now 
made  out  again  and  again  the  telltale  boot- 
tracks  before  him  in  the  trail,  making  recogni- 
tion of  them  surer,  by  the  lines  of  scratches 
which  passed  over  them  in  the  deeper  drifts 
where  the  burden  carried  by  the  maker  of  them 
had  again  dragged  too  low. 

It  was  a  longer  stretch  between  the  fourth 
trap  and  the  last,  and  before  he  reached  the 
lake  he  had  lost  much  of  his  conviction  of  suc- 
cess. But  as  he  came  out  into  the  triangular 
valley,  where  the  trail  took  to  the  ice  and  cut 
off  across  the  shallow  arm  of  the  lake,  he  came 
suddenly  to  a  stop  and  drew  back  for  shelter 
behind  a  boulder  by  the  way. 

The  trail  itself  was  bare,  but  on  the  opposite 
side,  where  it  climbed  the  bank  and  disappeared 
among  the  trees,  his  watchful  eye  had  caught 
with  certainty  the  vision  of  some  object  moving 
against  the  staring  background  of  the  snow. 
It  was  only  a  moment  before  it  passed  out  of 
sight,  but  in  that  time  he  had  recognized  it  as 
a  human  being  and  knew  that  he  was  close  upon 
the  meeting  with  the  person  he  had  come  to 
seek. 


166  HIS  WIFE 

He  stood  motionless  for  an  instant,  consider- 
ing what  to  do.  To  follow  out  upon  the  ice  was 
to  invite  detection  and  set  the  thief  upon  his 
guard.  The  trail  around  the  arm  was  for  the 
most  part  flanked  by  trees,  and  he  decided 
promptly  that  to  take  it  offered  the  only  rea- 
sonable course.  The  first  hundred  feet  of  it 
was  open  to  the  lake  and  he  plunged  along  it 
at  full  speed,  stopping  breathless  at  the  first 
shelter  to  look  across  the  ice  for  some  sign  that 
he  had  been  observed. 

There  was  no  movement  there  that  he  could 
see,  and  he  started  on  at  once,  making  such 
progress  as  he  could  along  the  disused  path. 
When  he  came  round  the  turn  and  commenced 
on  his  journey  back  along  the  arm,  he  began  to 
move  with  caution  and  kept  an  ear  turned  al- 
ways forward  for  sound  or  movement  there 
ahead.  He  left  the  trail  before  it  joined  the 
other  from  the  lake  and  made  a  detour,  so  as  to 
come  to  the  place  where  the  trap  was,  from  the 
other  side. 

It  was  difficult  work  in  the  deep  feathery 
snow,  and  he.  raged  inwardly  at  the  creak  of  his 
felt  boots  as  his  weight  pressed  them  heavily 
down.  He  persisted,  however,  and  came  finally 


LUKA'S  EYES  AEE  OPENED       167 

to  a  vantage  point  where,  unobserved,  he  could 
look  freely  out  upon  the  scene.  The  place  was 
a  natural  clearing,  saucer-shaped  and  round, 
and  the  snare  had  been  set  at  about  the  lowest 
point.  His  eyes  went  to  it  at  once  and  he  al- 
most shouted  with  delight  as  he  saw  that  he 
had  come  in  time. 

The  trap  was  sprung,  but  in  it  was  a  full- 
grown  fox,  caught  firmly  by  the  leg.  The  ani- 
mal apparently  was  not  conscious  of  his  pres- 
ence for  it  stood  with  its  back  to  him,  fixed  and 
motionless,  its  attention  riveted  on  something 
in  the  bushes  on  the  other  side.  It  had  dragged 
the  trap  after  it  in  that  direction  out  to  the 
end  of  the  short  detaining  chain,  and  was  so 
absorbed  in  what  it  saw  that  it  leaned  forward 
till  its  pinioned  leg  was  drawn  stiffly  out  be- 
hind. 

Instinctively  Luka  Strukof's  eyes  went  out 
along  the  line  its  watching  indicated,  and  at  the 
same  moment  from  the  farther  side  there  came 
a  sharp  sound  as  of  breaking  wood.  The  man 
stepped  quickly  to  one  side,  so  that  he  could 
see  the  point  from  which  the  noise  had  come. 
But  he  stopped  as  suddenly  as  he  had  started, 
for  at  the  place  where  the  trail  from  the  lake 


168  HIS  WIFE 

came  out  into  the  open  he  saw  a  woman,  stand- 
ing with  her  back  turned  toward  him,  bending 
down.  She  too  was  oblivious  of  his  presence, 
and  was  trying  to  twist  from  its  roots  a  young 
fir  that  was  dead. 

There  was  something  so  familiar  to  him  in 
the  stooping  figure,  that  involuntarily  he  held 
his  breath.  His  suspense,  however,  lasted  but 
a  moment,  for  the  little  tree  came  up  in  the 
woman's  hands  and,  straightening  her  back,  she 
turned  and  faced  him,  and  he  saw  without  a 
chance  for  doubt  that  it  was  Lisa  Fedorovna 
who  stood  there  across  the  open  space. 

The  meeting  with  her  was  so  unexpected  that 
he  could  not  move  or  speak,  but  stood  looking 
at  her  in  a  sort  of  dumb  amaze.  He  knew,  of 
course,  that  she  ranged  wide  afield,  but  some- 
how it  had  never  come  to  him  that  her  wander- 
ings would  carry  her  so  far.  Then  there  began 
to  stir  in  him  disappointment  that  was  almost 
impatience,  that  she  should  have  appeared  so 
inopportunely  to  the  frightening  of  the  ma- 
rauder who  was  about  to  rob  the  trap. 

His  first  thought  was  to  call  to  her,  but  before 
he  could  speak  she  came  straight  forward  in 
such  perfect  unconsciousness  of  his  presence 


LUKA'S  EYES  ARE  OPENED       169 

that  involuntarily  he  waited  to  see  what  she 
would  do.  Her  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  animal 
in  the  trap,  and,  as  she  approached  it,  she  put 
out,  between  her  and  it,  the  stick  she  carried  as 
if  it  were  a  club,  holding  it  with  both  hands  well 
out  toward  the  smaller  end. 

The  fox  interpreted  the  motion  as  an  attack 
and  fled  swiftly  back  as  far  as  his  chain  allowed. 
Lisa  Fedorovna  followed  him  cautiously,  edg- 
ing to  one  side  as  if  to  take  him  in  the  rear. 
But  the  animal  moved  as  she  did,  so  that  she 
went  round  and  round  it  in  a  circle,  watching 
for  her  chance.  As  well  as  the  trap  allowed, 
the  frightened  beast  kept  its  muzzle  toward  her, 
and  snapped  at  the  stick  when  she  brought  it 
near  his  head. 

For  a  moment  Luka  Antonovitch  watched  the 
spectacle  with  no  feeling  beyond  wonder  in  his 
heart.  Then  the  setting  of  the  scene,  the  trap, 
the  stick,  the  ring  of  footsteps  in  the  snow, 
began  mercilessly  to  tally  with  another  picture 
in  his  mind.  Like  a  flash  it  came  to  him  that  it 
was  Lisa  Fedorovna  and  no  other  who  had  been 
at  the  third  trap  and  that  it  was  her  trail  he 
had  been  following  all  the  time.  As  a  final  and 
convincing  proof,  he  saw  now  in  the  trampled 


170  HIS  WIFE 

circle,  where  she  walked,  a  band  of  parallel 
scratches  begin  and  follow  in  her  track  where 
her  thick  skirt  dragged  down  behind  her  in  the 
deeper  snow. 

It  gripped  him  hard  to  find  that  there  was 
this  side  to  her  which  he  had  never  guessed.  It 
was  not  easy  for  him  to  admit  that  Pavel  Kolo- 
min  had  been  right  and  that  she  had  not  only 
consciously  deceived  him,  but  had  also  been  dis- 
loyal to  the  post.  For  a  long  moment,  he  stood 
weighing  the  probabilities  in  his  mind  and  try- 
ing to  explain  away  the  evidence  of  the  strange 
things  he  saw.  Then,  with  a  wild  impulse  by 
action  to  come  squarely  to  the  truth,  he  swept 
the  concealing  branches  hurriedly  aside,  and 
plunged  forward  to  where  she  stood. 

But  while  he  still  remained  irresolute  in  his 
place,  a  crisis  had  come  in  the  play  in  which 
Lisa  Fedorovna  had  a  part.  Seizing  some  ad- 
vantage which  only  she  could  see,  she  plunged 
suddenly  forward  and  pushed  the  stick  between 
the  irons  of  the  trap,  near  where  they  came  to- 
gether into  jaws.  The  fox,  in  sudden  panic  at 
the  action,  pulled  madly  back,  and  following  in, 
the  woman  set  her  foot  swiftly  on  the  trap,  and 
prying  down,  forced  open  the  detaining  jaws, 


LUKA'S  EYES  AKE  OPENED      171 

so  that  the  captive's  paw  came  loose.  The  fox, 
wasting  no  time  on  the  manner  of  its  escape, 
sprang  to  its  feet  and,  bolting  across  the  open 
snow,  disappeared  promptly  among  the  trees. 

Lisa  Fedorovna  remained  with  her  foot  on 
the  trap  and  the  stick  in  her  hands,  gazing  at 
the  point  at  which  the  animal  had  disappeared. 
So  intent  was  she  in  her  preoccupation  that  she 
was  not  conscious  of  the  coming  of  the  man  be- 
hind her,  until  he  reached  out  and  seized  her  by 
the  arm. 

She  screamed  at  the  contact  and,  wresting 
herself  from  his  grasp,  whirled  about  so  that 
she  faced  him,  the  stick  falling  between  them 
on  the  snow.  Her  face  was  white  with  the  fear 
of  her  surprise,  but  as  she  recognized  who  it 
was  that  had  come  upon  her,  the  color  flushed 
up  in  it  again,  and,  with  a  stiffening  of  the  body 
that  was  almost  a  defiance,  she  stood  her  ground 
and  waited,  her  hands  held  tight  behind  her 
back.  Luka  Antonovitch,  too,  for  the  moment, 
found  no  word  to  say,  but  his  eyes  fixed  them- 
selves on  hers  in  bitter  question  and  his  face 
hardened  as  he  saw  the  challenge  in  her  look. 

' '  Well,  where  is  the  other  one  ? "  he  demanded 
finally.  The  tone  was  rough,  and  his  upper  lip 


172  HIS  WIFE 

drew  back  so  that  it  showed  the  white  line  of 
his  teeth. 

"The  other  one!"  she  repeated  faintly. 

"Yes.  The  one  you  got  out  of  the  other 
trap." 

"  It  is  gone, ' '  she  said  in  the  same  constrained 
whisper.  "It  ran  away,  like  this  one,  when  I 
let  it  out."  His  face  softened,  though  he  con- 
tinued to  look  at  her  with  a  growing  stupor  of 
amaze. 

' '  Then  you  purposely  let  them  go  ?  "  he  said. 
"You  did  not  seek  to  keep  them  for  yourself?" 
Her  courage  began  to  come  back  to  her,  and  she 
spoke  with  a  new  note  of  confidence  in  her  voice. 

"What  if  I  did!"  she  said.  "Was  the  doing 
of  it  so  very  great  a  crime?" 

"Yes,"  he  declared.  "Because  it  puts  both 
you  and  me  under  a  suspicion  it  will  be  more 
than  hard  to  set  aside. ' '  The  perpetual  note  of 
fear  that  sounded  in  their  lives,  struck  for  Lisa 
Fedorovna  so  that  she  went  pale  again  and  her 
eyes  began  to  search  his  face  with  a  quick  sense 
of  dread. 

"I  do  not  understand,"  she  faltered. 

"No,"  he  returned  bitterly.  "But  it  is  a 
true  thing,  just  the  same.  We  have  both  been 


LUKA'S  EYES  AEE  OPENED      173 

under  suspicion  for  some  time.  How  could  I 
know  that  the  commandant  had  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  either  of  us  had  treason  in  his  heart? 
When  he  dared  to  make  the  charge  to  me,  I 
flung  it  in  his  teeth.  He  took  my  word  that  our 
skirts  were  clear,  though  never  since  has  he 
been  quite  the  same.  To-day,  for  the  first  time, 
he  gave  me  a  special  charge.  He  knew  the  ani- 
mals were  being  taken  from  the  traps  and  he 
sent  me  out  as  a  patrol  to  see  that  it  was  not 
done  again.  When  I  go  back  he  will  expect  the 
whole  truth  at  my  hands,  and  now  you  have 
made  it  so  that  I  can  only  tell  to  him  a  lie.  Why 
did  you  do  it?"  he  cried.  "What  was  it  led 
you  to  a  thing  so  mad?"  Lisa  Fedorovna  list- 
ened attentively,  though  she  did  not  at  once 
make  answer  to  the  charge.  Her  hands  came 
out  from  behind  her  back  and  she  stood  press- 
ing them  together  and  looking  out  beyond  him 
with  unseeing  eyes.  Twice  she  made  as  if  she 
were  about  to  speak,  but  each  time  her  throat 
failed  her  so  that  she  made  no  sound.  When 
she  did  answer,  it  was  with  conscious  effort 
and  her  voice  sounded  husky  and  constrained. 
"I  think  perhaps  it  was  because  I  was  so 
lonely,"  she  said  finally.  "You  know  I  have 


174  HIS  WIFE 

not  much  for  comfort  when  you  are  away.  The 
animals  are  the  only  things  I  see  of  which  I  do 
not  have  to  be  afraid,  and  when  I  find  them  in 
the  traps,  it  hurts  me,  as  if  they  had  been 
friends.  They  are  caught,  Luka!"  she  cried 
with  an  impulsive  outward  motion  of  her  hands. 
"They  are  caught,  and  can  not  get  away!" 
She  stopped  abruptly,  struggling  to  control  her 
voice.  The  man  opposite  to  her  remained 
stolidly  silent  and  kept  his  eyes  down  studiously 
on  the  ground. 

"Oh,  it  was  all  so  innocent!"  she  went  on 
tremulously.  ' '  I  had  no  thought  of  hurting  you, 
or  Pavel  Kolomin,  or  anybody,  when  I  let  them 
go.  It  only  came  to  me  how  dreadful  it  was  to 
see  them  there,  when  they  fought  so  to  be  free ! ' ' 
Her  voice  had  been  falling  lower  and  lower, 
until  at  the  end  it  was  so  faint  that  Luka  An- 
tonovitch  could  scarcely  hear. 

He  stirred  uneasily  in  his  place,  looking  up 
at  her  again  and  again  from  under  his  lids,  and 
each  time  letting  his  glance  fall  as  suddenly, 
before  it  came  to  hers.  He  understood  now, 
perhaps,  better  than  she  did  herself,  that  it  was 
because  the  plight  of  the  foxes  was  so  patheti- 
cally like  her  own  that  she  had  wished  to  set  the 


LUKA'S  EYES  AEE  OPENED      175 

imprisoned  creatures  free.  The  pity  of  it  and 
the  outcry  against  it  began  to  stir  madly  in  his 
blood,  and  it  was  only  by  strenuous  resistance 
that  he  restrained  himself  from  reaching  out 
and  taking  her  consolingly  in  his  arms.  Re- 
pression, however,  had  become  to  him  as  second 
nature,  and  even  under  this  temptation  he  stood 
wooden  and  inert,  no  testimony  of  his  real  de- 
sire showing  in  his  face. 

"I  know,  I  know,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice. 
She  drank  in  greedily  the  chary  comfort  thus 
vouchsafed,  and  tried  to  smile  up  at  him, 
though  her  eyes  were  wet. 

"You  frightened  me  so,"  she  said  apologet- 
ically, as  if  that  accounted  for  all  the  trouble 
in  her  mind.  With  a  quick  motion  he  put  out 
his  hand  as  if  to  touch  her,  but  before  it  reached 
her  he  drew  it  back. 

"I  did  not  mean  to  frighten  you,"  he  said 
hurriedly.  "It  is  hard  sometimes  to  avoid  un- 
kindness,  even  when  one  most  wishes  to  be 
kind."  She  listened  breathlessly,  looking  at 
him  with  searching  seriousness  and  after  a  lit- 
tle her  eyes  grew  wide  again  with  her  pathetic 
smile. 

"I  could  almost  believe  you  cared,"  she  said 


176  HIS  WIFE 

unsteadily.  The  passion  which  for  weeks  had 
been  growing  up  in  Luka  Antonovitch 's  heart 
flamed  up  in  him  like  a  consuming  fire. 

"I  do  care,"  he  cried  huskily.  "You  ought 
to  know  that  in  your  heart!"  A  soft  flush  of 
color  rose  up  in  her  cheeks,  but  she  still  looked 
at  him  with  the  same  questioning  smile. 

"Yes,  I  suppose  you  do,  Luka,"  she  said 
sadly.  * '  But  oh,  it  is  such  a  proper  care !  You 
would  think  about  me,  perhaps,  if  you  came 
home  and  did  not  find  me  in  the  house.  If  I 
were  sick,  you  would  see  that  I  had  remedies 
and  care.  You  would  defend  me  from  harm 
without  thought  of  your  life,  and  if  I  were  dead, 
you  would  be  grieved  and  no  doubt  mourn  for 
me  a  decent  while.  But,  after  all,  what  is  that 
more  than  a  friend's  care  for  a  friend?  I  have 
never  had  from  you  the  love  you  should  show 
a  wife,  Luka,  and  friendship  is  cold  comfort, 
where  the  whole  heart  aches  for  love.  Oh,  why 
could  you  not  spare  to  me  the  rest!"  she  burst 
out  bitterly.  "I  could  have  been  so  happy,  if 
only  I  had  known  I  had  your  heart !"  He  under- 
stood her  now,  and  it  was  a  pang  to  him  that 
he  could  not  gainsay  what  she  had  charged  as 
truth. 


"I  have  been  blind!"  he  cried  with  hasty 
self-reproach.  "  It  was  not  fair.  I  should  have 
given  more."  Lisa  Fedorovna  gave  a  little 
stifled  cry. 

"Yes,  more — "  she  said.  "But  what  you 
gave  me,  Luka,  was  all  you  had  to  give."  He 
made  a  sudden  movement  forward  and  seized 
her  by  the  hands. 

' '  No,  it  is  not ! "  he  cried.  ' '  God  alone  knows 
why  He  brought  us  to  each  other  as  He  did. 
But  if  at  first,  when  things  came  back  to  me,  I 
failed  to  show  an  interest  as  deep  as  yours,  it 
was  because  you  were  strange  to  me  and  new 
and  I  could  only  find  myself  with  time.  But  do 
you  think  that  I  could  live  with  you  and  have 
you  with  me,  day  by  day,  without  a  stirring  at 
the  heart?  Am  I  so  dull  in  showing  what  I 
feel,  that  in  all  this  time  you  have  never  guessed 
how  wholly  a  need  to  me  you  are  now?"  She 
drew  away  from  him  with  a  perceptible  shrink- 
ing at  his  words. 

"Hush!"  she  commanded.  "Do  you  think 
that  I  told  you  this  to  make  you  tell  me  that 
you  cared?" 

"But  I  must  tell  you,"  he  cried.  "I  can  not 
be  happy  until  you  know!"  He  tried  to  draw 


178  HIS  WIFE 

her  closer,  but  with  a  swift  movement  she 
twisted  from  his  grasp  and  sprang  quickly 
back. 

"Not  to-day,  Luka,  not  to-day!"  she  panted. 
"I  could  not  bear  to  listen  to  it  now."  She 
turned  without  waiting  for  an  answer,  and, 
like  the  fox  when  it  found  that  it  was  free,  ran 
precipitately  across  the  open  glade  and  disap- 
peared among  the  trees  in  the  direction  of  the 
lake. 

Her  defection  was  so  unexpected  that  it  took 
him  unawares.  He  stood  for  a  moment  listen- 
ing almost  stupidly  to  the  sounds  of  her  hur- 
ried flight,  which  carried  to  him  loudly  in  the 
still  winter  air.  Then,  with  his  eagerness  and 
his  disappointment  written  large  upon  his  face, 
he  sprang  forward  in  pursuit  and  ran  madly 
after  her  along  the  trail. 

He  got  no  sight  of  her  until  he  reached  the 
border  of  the  lake,  and  then  it  was  only  to  see 
that  she,  too,  was  running  and  was  already  far 
out  on  the  ice  toward  the  middle  of  the  arm. 
With  an  exclamation  of  chagrin  he  stood  still 
and  watched  her,  and  then  with  a  last  flicker  of 
hope  raised  up  his  hand  to  his  lips  and  called. 

' '  Lisa ! "  he  cried  out.    ' '  Come  back ! "    The 


LUKA'S  EYES  AEE  OPENED       179 

appeal  went  out  with  the  full  volume  of  his 
voice,  and  he  knew  from  the  distance  that  she 
must  have  heard.  But  she  neither  paused  nor 
turned,  and  he  was  about  to  call  again  when  his 
attention  was  taken  so  that  he  waited  with  the 
cry  unuttered  on  his  lips. 

Loosened  by  the  sun  and  kept  in  its  place 
only  through  lack  of  a  pregnant  touch  to  start 
it  down,  the  apron  of  feathery  snow,  which 
hung  across  the  steep  face  of  the  mountain  at 
the  far  end  of  the  lake,  suddenly  took  impulse 
from  the  vibration  of  his  shout,  and,  tearing 
off  raggedly  in  long  zigzag  lines,  began  to  slip 
leisurely  downward  toward  the  base. 

The  movement  was  insignificant  at  first,  but 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  it  gathered  force  and 
grew,  tumbling  the  loose  banks  of  snow  against 
one  another  and  rolling  them  over  in  constantly 
increasing  heaps.  There  was  no  holding  the 
mass  when  it  was  half-way  down  and,  sweeping 
before  it  the  trees  and  boulders  of  the  lower 
slopes,  it  brought  them  crashing  with  it  to  the 
level  of  the  valley  floor.  Here  at  the  edge  of 
the  water  it  lay  still,  a  fine  white  dust  of  pow- 
dered snow  rising  up  from  it  like  a  cloud. 

But  the  impact  of  it  did  not  stop.    Moving  as 


180  HIS  WIFE 

before,  it  passed  out  into  the  lake,  with  all  the 
force  of  the  snow's  tremendous  fall.  The 
watching  man  saw  the  motion  start  like  a  great 
wave  at  the  shore  and  move  in  widening  circles 
out  across  the  ice,  keeping  always  a  space  ahead 
of  the  threatening  cloud  of  mist  which  followed 
swiftly  in  its  wake.  The  ice  bent  and  cracked 
as  it  responded  to  the  strain,  rising  and  falling 
with  a  swell  that  was  like  the  sea. 

He  looked  for  Lisa  Fedorovna  and  saw  that 
she  too  had  seen  the  avalanche  and  was  stand- 
ing still.  She  seemed  to  have  no  thought  that 
it  meant  danger,  and  stood  gazing  at  it  as  if  it 
were  a  spectacle  set  out  for  her  to  see.  But 
fear  came  to  her  almost  as  he  looked,  and  with 
a  swift  glance  back  and  forward  in  judgment 
as  to  which  was  the  nearer  shore,  she  whirled 
in  the  trail  and  began  to  run  toward  the  farther 
side. 

But  for  her  there  was  no  chance  for  harbor 
in  the  storm.  Almost  before  she  was  under 
way,  the  wave,  moving  with  sinister  swiftness, 
caught  her  from  the  side.  She  made  no  cry, 
but  Luka  Antonovitch  saw  her  stagger,  as  the 
swell  rose  up  beneath  her  feet,  and  plunge  for- 
ward, beating  wildly  with  her  hands.  Then  she 

i 


LUKA'S  EYES  AEE  OPENED      181 

pitched  headlong  down  upon  the  ice,  and  the  fol- 
lowing cloud  of  snow  swept  over  her  and  blotted 
out  the  whole  scene  from  his  sight. 

It  was  all  so  unexpected  that  the  thing 
reached  its  climax  before  it  came  to  him  to  act. 
Then,  with  a  cry  that  had  in  it  the  full  agony  of 
his  fear,  he  plunged  down  the  shelving  bank 
and  ran  swiftly  out  to  her  along  the  trail.  He 
met  the  wave  a  little  distance  from  the  shore, 
and  it  threw  him  sharply  from  his  feet,  but, 
blind  to  everything  except  the  fate  of  the  wo- 
man out  beyond  him  there  alone,  he  struggled 
up  and  on,  bracing  himself  to  the  motion  of  the 
ice  and  fighting  hard  to  keep  himself  firmly  on 
his  legs.  The  mist  about  him  was  so  thick  that 
he  panted  as  he  breathed  it,  and  he  stumbled 
repeatedly  and  fell,  because  he  could  not  see 
the  trail. 

He  tried  in  his  mind  to  calculate  the  distance, 
so  as  to  know  when  he  reached  the  spot  where 
Lisa  Fedorovna  had  gone  down,  and,  deciding 
he  was  near  it,  he  stood  still  and  called  aloud. 

"Lisa!"  he  cried.  "Lisa!"  and  when  the 
mist  gave  back  no  answer  he  went  frantically 
down  with  his  face  close  to  the  ground,  groping 
about  him  for  the  place  where  she  '  »'l  f (alien  in 

' 


182  HIS  WIFE 

the  way.    He  was  wholly  beside  himself  with 
the  wild  rush  of  his  fear. 

1  'If  I  could  only  find  her/'  he  said,  speaking 
aloud  as  if  there  were  some  one  there  to  hear. 
' '  If  I  could  only  find  her,  and  tell  her  the  full 
truth!" 

Presently,  however,  it  came  to  him  that  he 
had  surely  passed  the  place  where  he  had  seen 
her  fall  and,  unless  the  ice  had  opened  up  and 
swallowed  her,  she  must  be  living  and  some- 
where there  beyond.  Possessed  by  this  new 
faith,  he  began  to  run,  trusting  to  instinct  to 
keep  him  in  the  trail  and  resting  all  his  hopes 
on  coming  quickly  to  the  land.  The  ice  had 
stood  less  surely  where  the  swell  came  near  the 
shore,  and  going  without  caution,  he  did  not  see 
and  splashed  through  a  lane  of  water  which  had 
opened  in  the  way.  It  was  only  to  his  hips, 
however,  and  he  pushed  on  through  it  to  the 
shore,  and  coming  out  stood  dripping  while  he 
again  picked  up  the  trail. 

Finding  it,  he  dropped  down  in  the  snow, 
looking  for  footprints  coming  from  the  lake. 
He  found  them  at  once  and  with  a  cry  of  joy 
went  down  and  touched  them  as  if  they  held 
some  sacred  suggestion  of  the  woman  whom  he 


LUKA'S  EYES  ABE  OPENED       183 

sought.  Then,  springing  to  his  feet,  he  listened 
for  her  and,  hearing  nothing,  called  aloud. 

The  cry  was  but  a  shadow  of  his  usual  full 
tone,  but  it  was  charged  with  such  intensity  of 
desire  that  it  carried  almost  as  far  as  a  more 
natural  outcry  would  have  done.  He  caught 
an  answer  almost  as  he  spoke,  and  so  near  he 
knew  that  it  was  only  because  the  mist  hung 
down  between  them  that  he  could  not  see  her 
where  she  stood.  With  a  sob  of  thankfulness, 
he  plunged  forward  along  the  trail  in  the  direc- 
tion from  which  the  sound  had  come,  and  after 
a  moment  saw,  in  the  indistinct  gray  of  the  dis- 
tance, her  figure  rise  up  before  him  like  a  ghost. 

She  was  standing  at  the  great  rock  where  he 
had  stood  and  watched,  before  he  turned  aside 
to  skirt  around  the  arm.  It  was  plain  that  she 
had  been  but  little  quicker  than  he  upon  the 
way,  for  she  was  still  panting  from  the  speed 
that  she  had  made,  and,  with  her  hands  resting 
on  the  stone,  was  leaning  her  head  upon  them 
as  if  deadly  tired. 

Luka  Antonovitch  reeled  unsteadily  as  he 
made  his  way  to  where  she  stood.  She  heard 
him  coming  and  turned  toward  him,  her  hands 
dropping  to  her  sides.  His  breath  was  coming 


184  HIS  WIFE 

in  quick  gasps,  and  reaching  her,  he  threw  his 
arms  around  her  almost  roughly,  crushing  her 
to  him  till  he  could  feel  along  his  whole  length 
the  pressure  of  her  body  against  his. 

1 '  Oh,  I  have  found  you,  I  have  found  you ! ' ' 
he  whispered.  "I  thought  it  was  too  late.  I 
wanted  to  tell  you  there  on  the  other  side,  but 
you  would  not  listen  and  you  went  away,  and 
then  I  thought  that  you  would  never  know !  Let 
me  tell  you  now  before  it  is  too  late.  I  can  not 
live  till  I  have  told  you.  I  love  you!  I  love 
you!  Do  you  hear?"  She  stood  tense  and 
rigid  in  his  clasp,  but  her  eyes  were  shining  and 
her  lips  parted  slightly  with  the  rapt  expression 
of  one  who,  while  he  listens,  holds  his  breath. 

"I  hear,"  she  breathed  almost  inaudibly,  but 
she  did  not  move  or  try  to  draw  away.  Then 
as  he  waited,  anxious  and  confused,  "Go  on!" 
she  said.  "Tell  me!  I  want  to  hear!"  A  quiver 
ran  through  his  body  and  he  drew  her  closer  to 
him  with  almost  convulsive  touch. 

"I  love  you!"  he  repeated  hoarsely,  but  his 
voice  was  so  spent  that  he  was  not  certain  that 
he  spoke  aloud.  She  heard  him,  however,  and 
laughed  a  laugh  of  absolute  content.  She 
pushed  back  from  him  gently  until  she  had 


LUKA'S  EYES  ABE  OPENED      185 

disengaged  her  arms.  Then  drawing  closer  to 
him  again  with  the  full  glory  of  her  happiness 
shining  in  her  eyes,  she  put  her  arms  around 
his  neck  and,  leaning  forward,  kissed  him  sol- 
emnly upon  the  lips. 

The  mist  hung  over  them  like  a  clinging  pall, 
their  clothes  were  wet  and  clammy,  and  they 
stood  half  to  their  knees  in  the  cold  comfort  of 
the  snow.  But  in  the  bliss  of  their  mutual  con- 
fession there  was  no  room  for  discomfort  or 
fatigue,  and  looking  into  each  other's  eyes  they 
found  there,  for  the  time,  guaranties  that  were 
a  pledge  against  all  trouble  that  their  world 
might  dare  to  bring. 


CHAPTEE  VH 

THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST 

November  days  are  short,  and  the  winter  sun 
was  down  and  the  air  sharp  with  frost  before 
it  came  to  Luka  Antonovitch  and  Lisa  Fe- 
dorovna  to  make  beginning  on  their  backward 
way.  But  the  long  twilight  left  for  them  no 
doubt  as  to  the  trail.  The  snow  had  taken  a 
friendly  glow  from  the  warm  yellow  of  the  sun- 
set clouds  and  as,  reluctant,  they  set  about  re- 
turn, the  glamour  of  their  thoughts  lay  like  a 
seal  upon  their  eyes  so  that  they  saw  the  road 
with  little  more  distinctness  than  if  it  had  been 
a  pathway  in  a  dream. 

They  went  along  it  hand  in  hand,  their  pulses 
thrilling  with  the  intoxicating  contact  of  their 
palms.  It  did  not  seem  to  be  a  time  for  speech, 
but  at  intervals  they  turned  to  each  other  with 
a  silent  understanding  which  set  their  eyes  con- 
sciously aglow.  They  had  found  the  peace  that 
follows  on  the  storm,  and  were  grateful  for  it, 
186 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST        187 

as  for  an  unexpected  gift.  But  yet  through  it 
all  there  never  failed  to  sound  for  them  the  still 
small  voice  of  conscience,  reminding  them  that, 
though  the  gates  of  Paradise  stood  thus  pleas- 
antly ajar,  it  was  not  theirs  to  enter  in. 

Lisa  Fedorovna  was  the  first  to  answer  to  its 
promptings,  and  while  she  did  not  put  her  mis- 
giving into  words,  the  fear  of  it  showed  subtly 
in  her  looks,  so  that  in  the  end  the  man  beside 
her  saw  and  understood. 

"Do  not  be  afraid,"  he  said  with  reassuring 
confidence.  "God  can  not  care  to  hold  back 
from  us  such  comfort  as  we  are  taking  now,  but 
I  am  not  therefore  blind  enough  to  think  that 
because  the  burden  has  been  eased,  He  has 
lifted  from  us  altogether  the  pressure  of  His 
hand."  She  caught  her  breath  in  a  responsive 
sob,  and  turned  her  eyes  to  him,  swimming  with 
sudden  tears. 

"Oh  Luka,  if  only  sometime  it  could  be 
cleared  away!"  she  cried. 

"Peace,"  he  said  hurriedly.  "The  dead  do 
not  come  back  to  life,  and  until  they  do  we  have 
no  right  to  hope." 

"I  did  not  mean  it,"  she  answered  contritely. 
"What  moved  me  was  a  longing,  not  a  hope." 


188  HIS  WIFE 

As  they  came  near  the  hamlet,  she  was  stirred 
by  a  new  fear. 

"  Shall  you  go  to  see  the  commandant, 
Luka?"  she  asked  timidly. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "if  it  is  not  too  late  "  She 
hesitated  as  if  afraid  to  make  plain  even  to  him 
her  thought,  but  finally  mustered  her  courage 
to  the  point,  and  said : 

' '  What  are  you  going  to  tell  him — about  to- 
day?" 

* '  The  truth, ' '  he  answered  laconically. 

"That  is  right,"  she  said  faintly,  and  went 
on  as  before.  He  watched  her  sympathetically, 
and  tightened  his  grasp  upon  her  hand. 

"Pavel  Pavelovitch  will  understand,"  he  said 
confidently,  and  there  was  a  reassuring  cer- 
tainty in  his  voice  which  bolstered  her  wavering 
confidence  almost  to  belief.  But  later,  when 
Luka  Antonovitch  came  to  talk  to  the  command- 
ant about  the  matter,  face  to  face,  he  found  he 
was  not  by  any  means  so  sure. 

Pavel  Kolomin  listened  gravely  and  without 
comment  to  the  tale,  puffing  at  his  pipe,  and 
watching  the  embarrassed  messenger  narrowly 
from  between  his  half  closed  eyes.  When  the 
story  was  all  told,  he  still  sat  blowing  out  clouds 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST        189 

of  smoke,  his  face  set  inscrutably,  so  that  it 
gave  no  reflection  of  what  was  going  on  inside. 

"Well,  there  is  no  doubt  but  you  have 
brought  me  news,"  he  said  at  last,  "though  I 
must  say  that  it  is  not  altogether  what  I  ex- 
pected you  would  bring.  It  is  perhaps  better 
this  way  than  if  it  had  been  done  by  one  of 
Konovalof 's  men.  It  is  a  pity  that  you  are  not 
a  peasant  so  you  could  go  to  your  wife  and  set- 
tle this  matter  with  a  stick.  But  even  if  you 
can  not,  you  owe  it  to  the  Company  to  come  to 
such  an  agreement  with  her  that  the  thing  will 
not  occur  again.  And  as  to  that,"  he  added 
thoughtfully,  "is  this  the  first  time  that  she  has 
tampered  with  the  traps  ? ' '  The  man  addressed 
stirred  uneasily. 

"I  can  not  say,"  he  answered  in  a  low  voice. 
"I  did  not  think  to  ask."  The  commandant's 
eyebrows  lifted,  and  he  made  a  slight  clucking 
noise  with  his  tongue. 

' '  That  was  a  mistake, ' '  he  said  slowly.  * '  You 
know  that  it  is  not  the  first  time  that  the  animals 
have  disappeared." 

"I  know  it,"  returned  the  abashed  messenger 
dejectedly,  but  to  which  of  the  two  facts  his 
knowledge  ran  was  not  plain.  His  chagrin, 


190  HIS  WIFE 

however,  was  so  genuine  that  the  commandant 
could  not  but  believe  that  the  man  personally 
had  had  no  criminal  part  in  the  dereliction  of 
which  he  made  report,  and  he  gave  up  the  in- 
terrogation with  a  shrug. 

"You  are  a  good  man,  Luka,"  he  said  help- 
lessly, "and  I  suspect  your  wife  is  as  honest  in 
her  way  as  you.  But  the  things  you  do  and  the 
way  you  tell  about  them  would  convict  you  with 
any  one  except  a  friend,  so  I  advise  you  to  al- 
low this  matter  to  remain  between  you  and  me. 
Go  back  to-morrow  and  reset  the  traps  before 
any  one  reports  them  in ;  and  that  is  the  last  you 
will  hear  of  the  thing  unless  I  find  later  that 
your  wife  was  really  acting  for  the  other  post.'* 
Luka  Strukof  's  face  grew  full  of  gratitude,  but 
involuntarily  he  made  as  if  he  would  defend 
Lisa  Fedorovna  from  the  aspersion  of  the 
other's  final  words.  Pavel  Kolomin,  however, 
did  not  wait  for  him  to  speak. 

"Not  so  fast!"  he  cried.  "You  should  not 
take  offense  because  I  consider  every  chance. 
Be  honest  now.  How  long  had  you  known  Lisa 
Fedorovna  before  she  came  to  you  as  a  wife?" 
The  color  faded  out  of  Luka  Strukof 's  face  and 
he  swallowed  vigorously  before  he  spoke. 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TKYST        191 

"It  was  not  long,"  he  said  huskily,  struggling 
for  composure. 

"That  is  what  I  thought,"  returned  the  com- 
mandant quietly.  ' '  Now,  was  there  no  one  else 
at  that  time  who  wanted  her  as  much  as  you?" 
Luka  Strukof ' s  eyes  showed  that  he  wanted  to 
make  denial,  but  he  was  too  bad  an  actor  to 
compass  anything  besides  the  truth. 

"Yes — there  was  one,"  he  breathed.  The 
commandant  nodded  and  threw  up  his  hand. 

'  *  There  you  have  it  then, ' '  he  cried  triumph- 
antly. "What  is  there  to  hinder  that  the  man 
has  followed  her  as  far  as  the  other  post?" 
Luka  Antonovitch  was  evidently  not  impressed 
by  this  logic,  for  his  tension  relaxed,  and  he 
spoke  with  more  composure  than  before. 

"I  can  not  think  it,"  he  said.  "Lisa  Fe- 
dorovna  sees  no  person  from  the  Kenai  post." 
Pavel  Kolomin  gravely  nodded  his  head. 

"I  trust  you  are  right,"  he  said  soberly. 
"The  odds  are  against  you,  and  for  that  rea- 
son, if  for  no  other,  I  honor  you  for  your  be- 
lief. If  I  had  quarreled  with  a  wife  as  at- 
tractive as  yours,  and  had  no  means  of  knowing 
what  she  did  away  from  home,  I  am  afraid  that 
I  should  not  be  so  sure."  Luka  Strukof 's  jaw 


192  HIS  WIFE 

set  grimly  and  lie  looked  the  commandant 
squarely  in  the  eyes.  But  the  other  man  did 
not  flinch. 

"I  will  be  her  conscience,"  he  said  doggedly. 
"You  may  put  her  punishment  on  me,  if  you 
find  that  I  am  wrong. ' ' 

When  he  reached  the  house  at  the  gate  he 
found  Lisa  Fedorovna  waiting  for  him  in  the 
dark  outside  the  door.  When  she  heard  him, 
she  came  forward  with  a  sudden  rush  and,  feel- 
ing for  him,  took  hold  upon  his  arm. 

"Did  you  find  the  commandant?"  she  de- 
manded breathlessly.  "Did  you  tell  him? 
What  did  he  say?"  He  put  his  hand  reassur- 
ingly on  hers  and  pressed  it  gently  as  he  made 
reply. 

"I  saw  him,  yes,"  he  said.  "He  was  good 
to  me,  as  he  always  is — and  I  think  he  under- 
stands." She  fairly  shook  him  in  her  im- 
patience for  his  news.  , 

"Tell  me  exactly  what  he  said,"  she  cried. 
"I  want  to  hear  every  word!"  He  went  over 
the  interview  for  her  as  succinctly  as  he  could, 
sparing  no  detail  of  the  commandant's  suspic- 
ion except  the  suggestion  that  perhaps  she  had 
wandered  in  her  love,  and  dwelling  almost  with 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST        193 

reverence  on  Pavel  Kolomin's  kindly  sympathy 
and  trust. 

"But,  you  see,  there  was  the  one  question 
that  I  could  not  answer,"  he  said  as  he  ap- 
proached the  end.  "For  I  had  never  asked 
you  if  this  was  the  only  time  that  you  had 
touched  the  traps." 

"There  was  no  other,"  she  broke  in  hur- 
riedly. "It  was  an  impulse,  Luka,  and  I  did 
not  stop  to  think." 

"I  was  certain  of  it,  but  Pavel  Pavelovitch 
wanted  the  exact  truth,  and  so  I  only  told  him 
what  I  knew. ' ' 

"He  was  right,  Luka.  If,  as  he  thinks,  the 
traps  have  been  robbed  before,  it  was  no  doubt 
done  by  Konovalof 's  men,  and  it  is  not  unnat- 
ural that  in  Pavel  Pavelovitch 's  mind  the 
charge  should  lodge  that  in  their  doings  I,  too, 
had  a  part." 

"But  you  did  not,"  he  urged  impulsively. 
1 '  Surely  you  never  let  them  persuade  you  into 
that!"  He  felt  her  stiffen  at  the  implication 
and  she  gave  a  stifled  cry. 

"Did  you  then  believe  it  true?"  she  said. 
"Let  me  tell  you  then,  once  for  all,  that  I  have 
had  absolutely  nothing  to  do  with  those  people, 


194  HIS  WIFE 

beyond  that  I  have  seen  them  sometimes  in  the 
woods." 

"Then  you  did  see  them?  Why  did  you  not 
report  them  to  the  post  ? ' ' 

"They  were  doing  no  harm,"  she  answered, 
1 '  and  I  was  so  far  from  the  life  here  that  I  did 
not  know  the  danger  of  their  presence  or  that  I 
ought  to  tell.  And  as  for  that  matter, ' '  she 
added  tremulously,  "I  do  not  think,  Luka,  that 
either  you  or  I  have  been  looking  for  acquaint- 
ances we  did  not  have  to  make. ' ' 

"True,"  he  answered.  "Nor  will  we  in  the 
days  td  come.  Give  me  your  word  that  you  will 
avoid  all  meeting  with  them  from  this  time. ' ' 

' ' Gladly, ' '  she  said,  "if  it  will  make  you  one 
jot  happier  in  your  mind.  It  should  be  plain 
to  you  that  I  have  no  wish  to  see  or  be  seen  by 
any  one  from  the  life  we  left  behind. ' ' 

She  gave  the  promise  honestly  and  without 
thought  that  it  would  prove  a  care  to  keep. 
The  new  understanding  with  Luka  Antonovitch, 
though  it  could  not  break  down  the  wall  of 
moral  conviction  which  kept  the  couple  from 
each  other's  arms,  spread  like  a  balm  over  the 
sore  surface  of  Lisa  Fedorovna's  sensitiveness 
and  pride,  and  gave  her  courage  to  look  more 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST        195 

normally  on  life.  She  knew  now  that  she  was 
loved  by  Luka  Strukof  even  as  she  loved  him 
and,  sure  of  this  fact,  it  did  not  seem  so  much  to 
matter  that  without  recourse  they  must  deny 
themselves  the  rest,  and  walk  apart. 

All  day  the  joy  of  the  discovery  went  singing 
in  her  heart  and  her  accustomed  round  of 
homely  tasks  took  on  a  new  and  magnified  sig- 
nificance. The  hours  became  too  short  for  the 
performance  of  her  household  drudgeries  of 
love.  She  plunged  into  their  doing  with  an 
eagerness  that  left  no  room  for  the  old  loneli- 
ness and  care,  and,  from  being  a  wanderer  in 
the  hills  and  woods,  she  became  a  willing  tenant 
in  the  narrow  kingdom  bounded  by  the  four 
walls  of  her  home. 

But  there  are  some  lives  whose  most  inno- 
cent and  pleasant  paths  lead  but  to  tragedy,  and 
the  time  came  when  Lisa  Fedorovna,  made  un- 
suspicious of  danger  by  the  certainty  that  her 
intentions  were  beyond  reproach,  stepped  out- 
side this  enchanted  realm  of  happiness  and 
peace  and  broke  the  promise  she  had  made  to 
Luka  Antonovitch  because  she  thought  it  for  his 
good. 

It   was    Sara   Lukievna   who    unconsciously 


196  HIS  WIFE 

led  her  on.  The  girl  had  noted  with  honest  joy 
the  increased  span  of  her  stepmother's  happi- 
ness, and  while  she  was  puzzled  that,  after  ap- 
parent reconcilation,  the  two  she  loved  still 
stood  apart,  she  was  grateful  that  even  this 
partial  understanding  had  been  reached,  and 
disported  herself  in  frank  enjoyment  in  the 
happier  atmosphere  of  the  home. 

If  she  had  been  drawn  to  her  stepmother  in 
her  darker  moods,  she  came  absolutely  to  adore 
her  now,  and  with  the  development  in  her  of 
this  new  admiration  and  respect  she  began  to 
open  to  the  older  woman's  view  shy  vistas  of 
her  more  intimate  and  inner  thoughts. 

At  first  the  door  shut  so  quickly  that  Lisa  Fe- 
dorovna  caught  little  more  than  glimpses  of  the 
enchanted  land  beyond.  But  the  stepmother 
was  wise  in  her  generation  and  never  urged  the 
girl  to  confidences  she  did  not  wish  to  give. 
And  so,  unconsciously,  the  permitted  outlooks 
broadened,  new  shutters  were  unlocked  and 
pushed  aside,  and  quite  naturally  there  fell 
away  from  the  girl  the  cloak  of  reticence  which 
nature  has  set  up  in  all  girls  to  hide  the  soul 
of  maidenhood  from  life. 

The  confidence  which  proved  particular  was 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST        197 

proffered  on  the  morning  of  a  blustering,  gusty 
day,  when  the  windows  shook  and  were  never 
silent,  and  the  icy  air,  driven  by  the  impulse  of 
the  fierce  pressure  outside,  leaked  in  at  every 
crevice,  so  that  there  was  no  warm  place  in  the 
house  except  on  the  seat  above  the  stove. 

On  one  end  of  this  Sara  Lukievna  had 
curled  herself  up  like  a  luxurious  cat  and  was 
absently  watching  Lisa  Fedorovna,  as  she  put 
the  finishing  touches  on  her  morning's  work. 
The  older  woman  went  tranquilly  from  task  to 
task,  content  with  her  own  thoughts,  and 
scarcely  glancing  at  the  indolent  figure  of  the 
girl  above  her  on  the  shelf. 

But  when  the  room  was  cleared,  and  every- 
thing straightened  and  made  right,  she  folded 
her  cotton  apron  and  took  the  cloth  off  from 
her  hair  and,  climbing  up  beside  Sara  Lukievna, 
stretched  herself  at  full  length  and  let  her  head 
down  on  the  other's  knees.  The  girl  stirred 
slightly  to  readjust  her  comfort  and  lifting  an 
arm  laid  it  caressingly  about  the  older  wo- 
man's face.  Lisa  Fedorovna  turned  her  head 
and  kissed  Sara  Lukievna 's  fingers  as  they 
came  against  her  lips. 

"I  wish  care  sat  on  me  as  easily  as  it  does  on 


198  HIS  WIFE 

you,"  she  said  enviously.  "You  never  seem  to 
have  a  trouble  in  your  life."  The  girl  opened 
her  eyes  and  smiled  absently,  and  gave  Lisa  Fe- 
dorovna  a  quick  pressure  with  her  encircling 
arm. 

'  *  You  do  not  know, ' '  she  said  softly,  and  then 
she  sighed.  Lisa  Fedorovna  remained  very 
still  and  let  no  sign  of  her  interest  escape  her, 
though  her  lids  went  down  over  her  eyes  so 
that  the  girl  should  not  see  them  smile.  Sara 
Lukievna  's  glance  remained  pensively  fixed  and 
she  considered  meditatively  with  tight-pressed 
lips.  Presently  she  said: 

"Lisa,  you  have  been  in  love.  How  do  you 
know  when  a  man  really  cares?"  It  was  the 
old  question  asked  in  the  old  way,  but  the  pe- 
rennial freshness  of  passion  breathed  in  it,  as 
it  always  has,  and  Lisa  Fedorovna  felt  the  ex- 
quisite breath  of  it  play  round  her  as  she  heard. 

"It  is  not  so  hard,"  she  said.  "Generally 
you  can  tell  from  the  way  he  looks  at  you  and 
the  feeling  in  his  voice. ' ' 

"Oh,  those  ways,  of  course!"  said  Sara 
Lukievna  vaguely.  "But  I  mean  when  he  does 
not,  and  is  just  slow  and  friendly,  and  yet  you 
know  there  is  something,  but  he  forgets  the 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST        199 

things  you  give  him  and  does  not  seem  to  notice 
when  you  dance  with  him  and  your  head  rests 
against  his  coat."  The,  older  woman  re- 
strained her  desire  to  turn  and  see  the  other's 
face,  but  her  hand  went  up  and  she  patted  softly 
the  hand  that  was  against  her  cheek. 

"Perhaps  that  is  his  way,"  she  said  with 
ready  sympathy.  ' '  Has  he  then  never  told  you 
that  he  cares  ? ' ' 

"No.  Not  that  one— yet."  The  joy  that 
every  woman  finds  in  conquest,  even  though  it 
is  not  her  own,  stirred  in  Lisa  Fedorovna,  so 
that  she  had  difficulty  in  keeping  her  interest 
from  showing  in  her  voice. 

"Not  that  one?"  she  repeated.  "And  how 
many  others  are  there,  then,  that  have?" 

"Oh,  only  one!"  replied  the  girl  promptly. 
"That  is,  only  one  that  counts."  Lisa  Fe- 
dorovna waited  patiently,  content  to  let  her  un- 
fold her  confidence  in  her  own  way.  Sara 
Lukievna,  however,  was  too  intent  on  her  self- 
analysis  easily  to  take  alarm,  and  after  a  mo- 
ment's pondering  she  said: 

"You  know  I  have  known  the  other  one  a 
long  time.  It  was  before  Thoma  Kolomin 
came."  The  name  dropped  out  unconsciously 


200  HIS  WIFE 

and  the  girl  stopped  with  a  sudden  guilty  flush. 
But  the  older  woman's  face  remained  placid  as 
before,  and  noting  the  girl's  embarrassment  she 
made  haste  to  help  her  out. 

' '  If  you  are  sure  of  the  one, ' '  she  said  gently, 
"why  are  you  so  concerned  as  to  whether 
Thoma  Kolomin  cares  or  not?" 

"Of  course,"  said  the  girl  slowly.  "But 
don't  you  know,  when  a  man  is  different,  like 
that,  you  can  not  help  wanting  to  find  out." 
Lisa  Fedorovna  smiled  in  spite  of  herself  and, 
lifting  her  head,  drew  herself  about  till  her  face 
was  close  to  that  of  the  recumbent  girl. 

"And  if  you  did,"  she  whispered,  "would  it 
really  make  a  difference  to  you?"  A  lovely 
flood  of  color  swept  up  into  Sara  Lukievna's 
face  and  with  a  swift  movement  she  gathered 
her  stepmother  in  her  arms. 

"Perhaps,"  she  said  shyly.  "I  am  not  sure. 
But,  anyway,  I  should  really  like  to  know." 
Lisa  Fedorovna  let  her  hold  her  without  in- 
terruption till  the  first  flush  of  her  embarrass- 
ment was  past.  Then  she  drew  back  her  head 
and  looked  smilingly  into  the  other's  eyes. 

"Tell  me  about  the  other  one,"  she  said. 
"Is  it  anybody  that  I  know?"  It  was  easy  to 


THE  'MAN  AT  THE  TRYST        201 

see  that  Sara  Lukievna's  interest  in  this  case 
was  different  from  that  she  displayed  toward 
the  commandant's  son.  Her  face  cleared  at 
the  question  and  she  spoke  at  once  and  without 
constraint. 

"I  do  not  think  that  you  have  seen  him,"  she 
said.  "His  name  is  Akim  Nazaroff.  He  is  of 
the  hunters  and  since  you  came  he  has  not  been 
here  at  the  house."  , 

* '  But  how  do  you  still  see  him,  then,  that  you 
are  able  to  keep  track  of  how  he  feels?" 

"It  is  not  so  hard,"  she  answered.  "You 
see,  he  began  to  be  with  me  when  I  lived  with 
Akoulina  Fedosyevna  and  she  let  him  come 
with  the  others  to  the  great  house.  Now  that 
he  is  away  so  much  I  only  see  him  when  he  is  at 
the  post.  If  it  does  not  snow, ' '  she  volunteered 
softly,  "I  expect  he  will  be  here  this  after- 
noon." A  new  note  sounded  in  Lisa  Fe- 
dorovna  's  voice. 

"But  where  are  you  going  to  meet  him!"  she 
said.  "Are  you  expecting  to  bring  him  here?" 

"Oh,  dear  no,"  said  the  girl.  "We  always 
go  to  the  storehouse  by  the  discovery  cross  be- 
yond the  landing  cove."  Lisa  Fedorovna's 
voice  remained  as  colorless  as  before,  but  there 


202  HIS  WIFE 

was  a  certain  precision  about  it  that  spoke  of 
a  reserve. 

"But  you  have  not  been  going  there  to  meet 
him  alone!"  she  said.  The  girl's  quick  ear 
caught  the  deprecating  inflection  and  she  made 
haste  to  set  the  matter  right. 

"Not  all  the  time,"  she  said  apologetically. 
"Masha  has  gone  with  me  when  she  could." 
Lisa  Fedorovna  received  the  confession  with  a 
smile. 

"It  is  not  a  good  plan,  dear,"  she  said. 
"You  should  not  do  a  thing  like  that  without 
taking  counsel  with  some  one  else." 

"But  it  was  not  wrong  to  me,  Lisa,"  urged 
the  girl  eagerly,  "and,  besides,  who  was  there 
that  I  could  go  to  for  advice?"  The  truth  of 
her  defense  came  sharply  home  to  the  older 
woman  and  she  drew  the  girl  to  her  with  a 
twinge  of  shame. 

"I  have  been  selfishly  bound  up  in  my  own 
affairs,"  she  said,  "and  perhaps,  too,  a  little 
fearful  that  you  would  not  want  me  to  stand  in 
such  matters  in  your  real  mother's  place.  But 
I  have  not  meant  to  hold  myself  aloof  and  I 
would  have  loved  to  have  you  come  to  me  at  any 
time."  The  girl  made  no  spoken  answer,  but 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST        203 

pressed  close  to  the  older  woman  and  drew  her 
tight.  They  held  each  other  thus  while  the  new 
bond  became  tacitly  complete  and  then  Sara 
Lukievna  brought  the  matter  back  to  its  more 
concrete  form. 

"About  this  afternoon,"  she  said.  "Do  you 
think  I  ought  not  to  go  ? "  Lisa  Fedorovna  freed 
herself  and  sat  up  on  the  couch. 

' '  Do  you  want  to  go  1 "  she  asked  with  a  smile. 

"Of  course.  I  am  afraid,  if  I  do  not, 
he  will  not  understand."  Lisa  Fedorovna  con- 
sidered. 

"Well,"  she  said  doubtfully,  "I  suppose,  if 
you  have  promised,  you  really  ought  to  go,  but 
I  do  not  think  you  ought  to  go  alone. ' ' 

"Come  with  me  then,"  cried  the  girl 
promptly.  "It  is  not  so  far,  and  you  will  have 
the  chance  to  see  him  for  yourself. ' '  There  was 
a  promise  of  adventure  in  the  prospect  that  ap- 
pealed to  Lisa  Fedorovna 's  heart,  and,  besides, 
she  was  pleased  that  the  girl  had  so  readily  ac- 
cepted her  proffered  will  to  help.  She  waited 
a  moment  to  give  the  matter  a  proper  sense  of 
being  judged  and  then  without  looking  at  her 
companion  said: 

"I  am  afaid  it  will  be  cold,  but  if  you  really 


204  HIS  WIFE 

wish  it  I  will  go. ' '  The  girl  was  frankly  happy 
in  the  consent.  She  was  impatient  of  the  time 
till  they  could  be  upon  the  way,  and  moved 
about  the  house  with  a  restless  lightness  that 
permeated  even  her  more  sedate  companion 
with  something  of  her  festive  air. 

They  set  out  from  the  house  with  great  prep- 
aration and  much  laughter,  passing  out  of  the 
stockade  into  the  open  woods  and  bearing  off 
toward  the  shoulder  of  the  overshadowing 
ridge.  Sara  Lukievna  promptly  took  charge  of 
the  excursion  and  chattered  steadily  and  confi- 
dentially of  her  own  affairs.  Lisa  Fedorovna 
found  interest  and  amusement  in  the  talk  and 
listened  without  making  answers  till  some  par- 
ticular frivolity  suggested  a  question  to  her 
mind. 

"Thoma  Pavelovitch,"  she  said  when  there 
was  a  convenient  pause,  * '  does  he  know  that 
you  come  out  here  to  meet  this  other  man?" 
Sara  Lukievna  looked  softly  round  at  the  ques- 
tioner and  there  was  a  suspicion  of  a  twinkle 
in  her  eyes. 

"I  do  not  know  that  he  does,"  she  said  de- 
murely. "At  least  he  has  never  told  me  that 
he  did.  ' '  She  stopped  short  with  her  fingers  on 


THE  OMAN  AT  THE  TRYST        205 

her  lips,  as  if  a  thought  had  suddenly  come  to 
her,  and  after  a  moment  said,  with  eyes  that  still 
had  their  wicked  little  smile,  "I  wonder  if  it 
might  not  be  a  good  thing!  to  tell  him.  Perhaps 
it  would  help  him  to  make  up  his  mind." 

They  came  out  on  the  shoulder  of  the  hill  and 
found  the  storehouse  just  below  them  at  their 
feet.  Sara  Lukievna  stopped  and  stood  look- 
ing out  across  the  broad  stretch  of  frozen  river 
that  lay  like  a  white  plain  beyond. 

"I  see  him,"  she  cried  excitedly.  "I  was 
sure  that  he  would  come ! ' '  Lisa  Fedorovna  fol- 
lowed the  direction  of  her  pointing  and  saw  on 
the  ice,  some  little  distance  down,  two  figures 
advancing  from  the  other  shore.  For  a  mo- 
ment her  heart-beat  quickened  to  an  excitement 
joyous  as  the  girl's.  But  as  she  remembered 
the  post  behind  her  and  the  men's  direction  of 
advance,  an  uneasiness  awoke  in  her  which  sud- 
denly made  her  grave. 

"Why  are  they  so  far  down  the  river!"  she 
said.  "They  must  have  gone  a  long  way 
around. ' ' 

"Oh,  no,"  returned  the  girl.  "It  is  almost 
straight  across  and  by  keeping  down  the  stream 
no  one  sees  them  from  the  post."  Then  Lisa 


206  HIS  WIFE 

Fedorovna's  suspicion  crystallized  into  convic- 
tion as  she  heard. 

"Sara,"  she  said,  "those  men  are  not  com- 
ing from  the  other  post?" 

"Why,  yes,"  the  girl  answered.  "I  thought 
you  understood." 

"No,  I  did  not.  You  know  the  commandant 
has  forbidden  us  to  have  any  intercourse  with 
the  blockhouse  men."  The  girl  shrugged  her 
shoulders  and  threw  off  the  responsibility  with 
a  laugh. 

"Pavel  Pavelovitch  is  a  dear,"  she  said 
lightly.  "He  never  expects  me  to  obey  his 
rules." 

'  *  But,  Sara,  how  can  you,  when  you  know  that 
it  may  make  trouble  for  the  post?" 

"Where  is  the  harm  possible?"  she  pro- 
tested. "I  used  to  meet  Akim  Nazaroff  with- 
out danger  to  the  public  before  the  order  was 
given,  and  the  things  we  say  to  each  other  now 
are  just  the  same  as  we  used  to  say  then.  We 
do  not  talk  about  politics,"  she  added  demurely. 
But  Lisa  Fedorovna  was  not  to  be  convinced. 

"Well,  I  can  not  meet  them,  anyway,"  she 
said.  "I  have  given  Luka  my  solemn  promise 
that  I  will  not." 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST        207 

4 'Oh!"  said  the  girl  with  genuine  regret.  "I 
wanted  you  so  much  to  see  what  he  was  like. 
Well,  come  with  me  anyway  as  far  as  the  store- 
house door,"  she  added  coaxingly.  "You  can 
wait  there  as  well  as  here,  without  breaking 
your  word,  and  yet  you  will  be  near  enough  to 
get  some  idea  of  how  he  looks. ' '  She  seized  her 
reluctant  stepmother  by  the  hand  and  set  off 
with  her  down  the  hill.  Lisa  Fedorovna  al- 
lowed herself  to  be  led  along,  though  it  was  evi- 
dent that  her  pleasure  in  the  adventure  was  all 
gone. 

"Not  a  step  farther!'*  she  said  when  the 
doorway  had  been  reached,  and  Sara  Lukievna 
obediently  let  go  her  hand.  The  two  men  were 
now  quite  near,  and  seeing  Sara  Lukievna  com- 
ing on  alone,  they  paused  a  moment  in  close  talk. 
Then  one  of  them  turned  and  moved  away 
among  the  trees  and  the  other,  whom  Lisa  Fe- 
dorovna guessed  to  be  Akim  Nazaroff,  moved 
forward  again  almost  at  a  run  and  came  to 
Sara  Lukievna  with  outstretched  hands. 

She  evidently  spoke  to  him  in  quick  warning, 
for  his  arms  dropped  at  his  sides  and  he  stood 
to  look  at  Lisa  Fedorovna  with  a  frankly  curi- 
ous air.  She  dropped  as  promptly  from  his 


208  HIS  WIFE 

mind,  however,  and  he  turned  again  to  give  his 
whole  attention  to  the  girl.  The  couple  was 
plainly  visible  from  the  angle  of  the  building 
where  she  stood,  and  Lisa  Fedorovna  embraced 
the  opportunity  that  the  girl  had  made  for  her 
to  study  the  young  man  as  he  talked. 

He  was  a  close-knit,  lithe,  young  fellow,  agile 
as  a  cat,  and  had  the  swarthy  skin  and  black 
eyes  that  come  from  the  Ukraine.  He  was  evi- 
dently very  much  devoted  to  the  girl  before 
him,  and  pleaded  his  cause  with  an  oriental 
abandon  of  gracefulness  and  fire.  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna watched  their  doings  closely,  her  atten- 
tion bent  on  gaining  ocular  proof  of  the  range 
of  Sara  Lukievna's  interest  in  the  man.  So 
absorbed  did  she  become  that  she  kept  no  note 
of  what  was  going  on  behind  her  and  had  no 
thought  of  danger,  till  suddenly  there  was  a 
voice  in  her  ear,  an  arm  slid  round  her  waist, 
and  she  was  pulled  back  till  she  was  round  the 
corner  of  the  house  and  it  hid  the  others  from 
her  view. 

'  *  Ai,  Masha ! ' '  said  the  voice  with  a  hoarse 
chuckle.  "So  I  am  not  so  displeasing  but  you 
did  come  after  all !"  Lisa  Fedorovna  Js  lips  re- 
fused to  speak,  but  she  twisted  herself  from  the 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST       209 

embrace  and,  whirling,  faced  the  intruder  with 
fear  and  indignation  blazing  in  her  eyes.  It 
was  the  man  who  had  come  with  ATdm  Nazaroff 
from  the  other  side,  and  he  saw  his  mistake  the 
moment  it  was  made. 

"My  death  has  already  come  for  me!"  he 
said  with  lowered  eyes  and  an  awkward  carry- 
ing of  his  hand  up  to  his  cap.  "I  thought  it 
was  Masha,  the  maid,  whom  I  have  found  here 
before."  Lisa  Fedorovna  was  not  mollified 
and  was  about  to  answer  with  rebuke,  but  as 
the  man  straightened  himself,  their  eyes  met 
and  they  stood  gazing  at  each  other  in  startled 
recognition  and  surprise.  Neither  broke  the 
silence,  but  after  a  little  the  woman's  eyes  went 
down.  The  man's  face  broadened  into  a  grin 
of  satisfaction  and  he  chuckled  as  if  there  was 
a  real  pleasure  for  him  in  the  discovery  he  had 
made. 

"So  it  is  here  that  you  have  come!"  he  said. 
"I  thought  perhaps  I  should  find  you  some- 
where on  the  coast. ' '  She  shrank  a  little  at  his 
familiarity,  but  seemed  to  find  no  special  word 
to  say. 

"Where  is  the  other  one  I"  he  demanded 
finally.  "Did  you  bring  him  with  you,  too?" 


210  HIS  WIFE 

Still  she  did  not  speak,  but,  seeing  that  he  would 
wait  and  was  bent  upon  an  answer,  she  forced 
herself  to  make  a  faint  motion  of  assent. 

"I  thought  as  much,"  he  said  with  a  knowing 
waggle  of  his  head.  "One  does  not  shake  the 
plum-tree  and  forget  to  pick  up  the  plums." 
He  looked  her  up  and  down  with  an  insolence  of 
admiration  that  fairly  made  her  shrink. 

"God!"  he  said  with  a  glow  of  reminiscence 
shining  in  his  eyes.  "That  was  a  great  time 
when  I  saw  you  last !  It  was  worth  all  it  cost, 
and  Luka  Antonovitch  did  not  do  more  for  you 
than  I  would  have  done,  if  I  had  been  in  his 
place."  She  still  persisted  in  her  silence, 
though  her  eyes  sought  his  in  an  agony  of  plead- 
ing and  she  flushed  furiously  up  to  the  roots  of 
her  hair.  The  man  waited  until  it  was  plain 
that  she  either  could  not  or  would  not  speak, 
and  then  began  again. 

"Well,  what  is  it?"  he  said  contemptuously. 
"Have  you  entirely  lost  your  tongue?"  Lisa 
Fedorovna  struggled  until  she  made  her  lips 
obey  her,  though  her  voice  was  so  low  that  he 
could  scarcely  hear. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  she  whispered. 
He  looked  sharply  at  her  with  a  sudden  shrewd 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST       211 

calculation,  and  for  the  moment  he  forgot  to 
grin.  Then  a  quick  gleam  of  understanding 
came  into  his  eyes,  and  quite  naturally  he  re- 
sumed his  air  of  careless  nonchalance. 

"That,  I  think,  will  depend  on  which  course 
promises  to  be  most  profitable  to  me,"  he  said 
smoothly.  She  understood  him,  but  she  was  so 
much  afraid  of  him  she  did  not  dare  to  let  her 
indignation  show. 

' '  But  I  have  so  little  that  you  could  want ! ' ' 
she  said  helplessly. 

"No  doubt,"  he  answered  with  mock  sym- 
pathy. "But  perhaps — if  it  were  worth  it — 
there  might  be  some  one  thing." 

"And  if  I  found  it,"  she  said,  "you  would 
promise  to  say  nothing  to  the  people  here — to 
let  Luka  Antonovitch  go  in  peace  ? '  ' 

"Who  can  doubt  it?"  he  said  with  a  fine  air 
of  sincerity.  "Why  should  I  wish  to  do  you 
harm?"  She  leaned  against  the  storehouse 
wall  and  covered  her  face  with  her  hands.  All 
the  heartsickness  and  fear  that  had  shadowed 
her  since  she  last  saw  this  man,  came  up  before 
her,  and  she  realized  with  despairing  hopeless- 
ness how  futile  had  been  the  struggle  that  she 
and  Luka  Antonovitch  had  made. 


212  HIS  WIFE 

"I  will  pay!"  she  cried  bitterly.  "Yon  shall 
have  what  there  is,  Ivan  Ignatich,  bnt  you  will 
have  to  give  me  time. ' ' 

"To  be  sure,"  he  said.  "All  things  can  not 
be  done  in  a  day.  But  mark  you,  my  dear,  no 
word  of  this  to  Luka  Antonovitch,  or  to  any- 
body else.  I  will  match  my  silence  against 
yours,  and  for  the  same  length  of  time." 

"It  will  be  harder,"  she  said,  "but  I  will 
try."  He  nodded  satisfaction  and  she  put  up 
her  hand. 

"Go!"  she  cried.  "I  can  not  talk  further 
about  it  now ! ' ' 

"Very  well,"  he  assented.  "But  when  shall 
I  see  you  here  again?" 

"To-morrow.  No  —  in  two  days."  The 
world  had  been  growing  black  around  her  as 
she  spoke,  and  she  scarcely  heard  whether  he 
answered  her  or  even  understood.  Her  body 
began  to  sway  dizzily  back  and  forth,  her  head 
drooped  as  if  she  were  asleep,  and  before  the 
man  woke  to  her  condition  and  could  lift  his 
hand  to  help,  her  consciousness  deserted  her 
and  she  slipped  quietly  down  along  the  wall 
into  the  snow. 

The  man  made  a  motion  as  if  to  lift  her  up, 


THE  MAN  AT  THE  TRYST        213 

but  hesitated,  listened,  and  then  went  cautiously 
to  the  corner  of  the  house  where  he  could  make 
sure  of  Akim  Nazaroff  and  the  girl.  They  were 
just  parting  and  he  saw  that  there  would  be  no 
time  for  ministration,  if  he  was  to  retire  with- 
out being  seen.  But  as  he  passed  the  prostrate 
woman,  coming  back,  some  impulse  of  recollec- 
tion brought  him  to  a  pause.  He  stood  looking 
at  her  curiously  for  a  moment  and  then  turned 
her  over  with  his  foot  so  that  he  could  the  bet- 
ter see  her  face. 

"God,  but  she  was  worth  it!"  he  cried  with 
a  sudden  glow  of  admiration;  and  letting  her 
fall  back,  he  swung  jauntily  away  from  her  out 
into  the  shelter  of  the  trees,  moving  by  instinct 
along  the  path  by  which  he  had  first  come. 


CHAPTER  VHI 

THOMAS   GOES   A-WOOING 

It  was  not  an  easy  task  which  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna  had  set  herself  to  do.  Her  conscience 
pricked  her  with  a  two-edged  pang,  whenever 
the  thought  came  to  her  of  her  silence  and  de- 
ceit. But  the  fear  for  Luka  Antonovitch 
gripped  her  with  so  strong  a  hold  that  she  shut 
her  eyes  to  all  except  his  threatened  danger  and 
grudged  no  sacrifice  which  might  raise  a  shield 
to  stand  between  him  and  the  expected  blow. 

"When  he  knows,  he  will  understand,"  she 
said  to  herself  softly  and,  with  no  support  but 
this  unstable  staff,  she  began  to  climb  the  ris- 
ing grade  of  Ivan  Ignatich's  demands.  The 
amount  on  which  she  privately  could  count  was 
so  pitifully  small  that,  when  she  went  to  him 
with  it,  her  heart  sank  lest  he  should  scorn  it 
and  refuse  to  carry  out  his  bond.  But  the  man 
was  much  too  ripe  a  villain  to  flout  a  likely 

214 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING          215 

goose  because  the  first  egg  of  the  clutch  proved 
undersized. 

"That  is  not  so  bad — for  two  days,"  he  said 
cheerfully,  with  a  calculating  eye  on  the  money. 
"But  for  the  next  time,  perhaps  you  had  better 
wait  a  week." 

"A  week!"  she  echoed.  "In  a  year  I  could 
not  bring  to  you  so  much  again!  This  is  the 
last  kopeck  that  I  have." 

"That  is  a  shame,"  he  said  slowly  with  a  well- 
assumed  air  of  sympathy.  "But  money  is  not 
the  only  thing  in  the  world.  You  see,  I  am 
fond  of  clothes  and  trinkets,  and  there  is  al- 
ways a  fair  market  at  the  post  for  skins. ' '  She 
looked  at  him  dully,  as  if  she  found  the  matter 
hard  to  understand. 

"I  can  not!  This  will  have  to  do,"  she  said 
stubbornly. 

"Oh,  you  will  find  something,"  he  insisted. 
"Surely  this  weather  is  too  cold  for  your  man 
to  begin  a  journey  back.  We  ought  at  least  to 
try  and  hold  him  here  until  the  spring."  But 
Lisa  Fedorovna  could  not  be  made  to  promise, 
and,  in  going,  left  him  uncertain  what  she  pro- 
posed to  do.  Indeed,  in  the  days  which  fol- 
lowed, Ivan  Ignatich's  plan  was  more  than  once 


216  HIS  WIFE 

perilously  near  to  shipwreck  in  the  wild  whirl 
of  her  bitterness  and  despair. 

The  one  thing  which  remained  to  comfort  her 
was  that  in  the  base  demands  which  her  in- 
quisitor imposed  upon  her,  he  urged  no  sacrifice 
which  infringed  upon  her  personal  respect.  A 
certain  insolent  admiration  of  her  charms  was 
always  present  in  his  look;  but  either  because 
the  approaches  seemed  too  well  guarded  to  be 
taken  by  assault,  or  else  that  he  preferred,  for 
the  time  at  least,  to  concentrate  upon  the  pros- 
pect of  pecuniary  gain,  the  man  restrained  de- 
sire at  the  expense  of  greed,  and  laid  no  claim 
either  by  word  or  deed  upon  her  personal  re- 
gard. It  was  evident  that  the  taint  was  in  his 
mind,  however,  for  when  the  chance  came  to 
express  the  feeling  where  he  would  not  have 
to  urge  it  face  to  face,  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
give  his  imagination  rein. 

It  stormed  on  the  day  appointed  for  the  sec- 
ond tryst,  and  Lisa  Fedorovna  guessed  that 
not  even  his  cupidity  would  tempt  the  man 
abroad.  Whether  she  would  have  gone  to  meet 
him  if  it  had  been  clear,  she  did  not  settle  even 
with  herself.  It  was  enough,  for  the  time,  that 
the  need  for  decision  came  and  passed,  and  she 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOINO          217 

went  on  stolidly,  nerving  herself  to  meet  the 
further  crisis  when  it  should  arrive. 

She  had  no  word  of  trouble  for  three  uneasy 
days.  Then,  at  an  hour  when  Sara  Lukievna 
and  Luka  Antonovitch  were  both  away,  there 
was  a  knock  at  the  door  and  a  strange  man 
greeted  her  when  she  opened  to  his  call. 

"You  are  Lisa  Fedorovna,  who  lives  here 
in  the  house  at  the  gate?"  he  asked  with  a  fur- 
tive glance  beyond  her  through  the  door. 

"Yes,"  she  said  faintly.  The  man  fumbled 
a  moment  in  the  pocket  of  his  blouse. 

"Here  is  a  letter,"  he  said,  "which  Ivan 
Ignatich  instructed  me  to  place  privately  in 
your  hand."  She  took  it  mechanically,  trying 
to  think  of  some  germane  word  to  say.  But 
the  man  was  fearful  and  had  no  wish  to  wait. 

"There  is  no  answer,"  he  said;  "you  will 
find  from  the  letter  what  Ivan  Ignatich  ex- 
pects. ' ' 

"I  will  read  it,"  she  said  and  the  man,  with 
a  duck  of  his  head  and  another  uneasy  glance  in 
through  the  door,  slipped  stealthily  round  the 
angle  of  the  house  and  disappeared  through  the 
open  gate  of  the  stockade. 

For  a  moment  Lisa  Fedorovna  stood  without 


218  HIS  WIFE 

motion,  looking  stupidly  at  the  letter  in  her 
hand.  Then,  even  though  she  knew  that  she 
was  alone,  she  hid  the  paper  furtively  in  her 
bosom,  before  she  ventured  to  go  back  into  the 
house.  The  same  fear  held  her,  once  she  was 
inside,  and  it  was  only  in  the  security  of  her 
own  room  that  she  dared  again  to  draw  the 
letter  out  and  feverishly  break  the  seal.  The 
missive  was  short  and  to  the  point;  but  before 
she  finished  it,  her  face  was  red  and  her  eyes 
blazing  with  the  confusion  of  her  shame. 

"My  dear,"  it  ran.  "I  have  cursed  the 
saints  that  the  storm  kept  me  from  looking 
again  into  your  pretty  eyes.  You  will  under- 
stand how  much  I  have  missed  what  I  would 
have  had  from  you  if  I  had  met  you  yesterday 
as  I  did  before.  It  is  meat  and  drink  and  in- 
spiration that  you  bring  me  all  in  one.  Come 
to  me  Thursday  without  fail.  Bring  me  what 
you  can  and  I  will  not  be  behind,  in  return,  with 
the  sweet  assurances  you  crave.  Is  it  not  won- 
derful we  eaclj  can  bring  such  comfort  to  the 
other's  heart!  Come,  my  love,  and  I  will  tell 
you  again  that  the  plan  goes  well  and  there  are 
still  things  between  us  that  neither  your  man 
nor  that  old  fool  Pavel  Kolomin  know.'* 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING          219 

The  craft  of  the  man,  his  ingenuity  in  saying 
one  thing  when  he  meant  another,  and  above  all 
the  impudent  assumption  of  interest  between 
them  such  that,  if  the  letter  should  be  taken,  it 
would  appear  that  their  meeings  had  been  sim- 
ple trysts  of  love, — all  these  things  stirred  her 
with  a  mad  confusion  which  fairly  took  away 
her  power  to  think. 

"It  is  too  much!"  she  cried  bitterly.  "Luka 
must  decide  this  matter  for  himself. ' '  Then  the 
pendulum  swung  back,  and  like  a  picture  there 
began  to  unfold  before  her  all  that  would 
happen  if  she  displeased  this  villain  who  was 
harrying  her,  and  he  made  good  his  repeated 
threat  of  charging  Luka  Antonovitch  before 
the  post. 

"Luka  would  kill  him  if  he  knew,"  she  said, 
and  nerved  herself  again  to  face  the  possibility 
of  compliance  with  Ivan  Ignatich's  demands. 
But  the  only  certainty  that  came  to  her  from  it 
all  was  that  there  was  no  clear  guiding  lamp  to 
show  her  how  she  should  decide.  She  was  still 
sitting  with  the  letter  in  her  hand,  when  there 
was  the  jar  of  an  opening  door  outside  and 
the  noise  of  a  footstep  in  the  adjoining  room, 
and  with  a  sudden  panic  she  realized  that  Sara 


220  HIS  WIFE 

Lukievna  had  returned  and  was  near  her  in  the 
house. 

With  a  quick  rush  she  bent  down  to  a  chest 
which  was  the  repository  of  her  most  private 
and  intimate  effects  and,  opening  it,  thrust  the 
letter  into  it  so  that,  for  the  time  at  least,  it 
was  safely  hid.  Then,  as  her  courage  grew, 
she  threw  back  the  lock  softly  and,  passing 
quietly  out,  met  the  girl  with  a  smile  which  hid 
effectually  the  trouble  that  was  gnawing  at  her 
heart.  Sara  Lukievna 's  eyes  were  shining  and 
she  came  at  once  to  Lisa  Fedorovna  and  stood 
before  her  with  a  mysteriously  confidential  air. 

"I  have  made  up  my  mind,"  she  said  softly. 
"I  am  not  going  to  the  warehouse  any  more." 
In  spite  of  her  preoccupation  the  older  woman 's 
eyes  lit  sympathetically,  and  she  regarded  the 
girl  with  a  kindly  interest  and  surprise. 

"Then  you  are  certain  now  which  one  you 
want?"  she  said.  The  girl  nodded  shyly,  a 
flush  of  color  rising  in  her  cheeks. 

"And  Thoma  Pavel ovitch — "  went  on  Lisa 
Fedorovna  inquiringly.  "Has  he,  too,  then, 
made  up  his  mind?"  Sara  Lukievna  hesitated 
just  a  moment,  as  if  to  be  certain  she  was  deliv- 
ering the  whole  truth. 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING          221 

"No,  not  yet,"  she  said  naively,  "but  he  will 
this  afternoon."  Lisa  Fedorovna  was  a  little 
taken  aback  by  the  other's  unexpected  show  of 
certainty  and,  when  she  answered,  it  was  with 
a  disapproving  motion  of  the  head. 

"It  is  good  to  be  sure,"  she  said;  "but  would 
it  not  be  better  to  wait  till  Thoma  Pavelovitch 
has  actually  told  you  what  he  thinks?"  Sara 
Lukievna  misunderstood. 

"Of  course,  if  you  think  best,"  she  said 
slowly,  * '  I  can  keep  up  with  Akim  Nazaroff  un- 
til things  are  absolutely  sure.  But,  really, 
whatever  happens,  Lisa,  I  do  not  believe  that 
I  should  ever  want  him  now."  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna laughed  in  spite  of  herself. 

"I  did  not  mean  that,"  she  said.  "What  I 
was  thinking  was  that  it  might  be  a  sorrow  for 
you  sometime  if,  feeling  sure,  things  did  not 
come  out  for  you  as  you  wished." 

"Oh,  but  it  is  sure,  Lisa,"  protested  the  girl 
earnestly.  "Thoma  is  all  right.  The  only 
trouble  with  him  is  that  he  does  not  quite  know 
how."  Lisa  Fedorovna  bent  and  kissed  her 
and  drew  her  to  her  with  her  arms. 

"I  am  glad  for  your  sake  that  it  is  so,"  she 
said.  "Thoma  Kolomin  is  a  good  man,  and  if 


222  HIS  WIFE 

I  had  decided  for  you  I  could  not  have  made  a 
better   choice."     The   girl   gave  her   a   quick, 
grateful  hug. 

"Is  it  not  lovely!"  she  whispered.  "I  do 
not  deserve  it,  Lisa.  It  makes  me  almost 
ashamed."  But  the  older  woman,  being  less 
sentimentally  absorbed,  was  busy  figuring  on 
the  practical  detail. 

"  Thoma 's  father  and  mother, — "  she  said. 

I 1  Have  you  told  them  yet  ? ' ' 

"Why,  no,"  cried  the  girl.  "You  know, 
Lisa,  that  Thoma  has  not  yet  even  definitely 
told  me!" 

"Of  course.  But  what  will  happen  when 
they  are  told?"  The  girl's  face  grew  thought- 
ful and  then  she  laughed. 

"I  should  just  like  to  see  Pavel  Pavelovitch 
object,"  she  said  with  mock  severity.  "And  as 
for  Akoulina  Fedosyevna,  she  never  denies 
Thoma  anything  he  wants." 

"That  makes  it  easier,  of  course,"  returned 
the  older  woman  soberly.  "But  you  had  bet- 
ter keep  the  news  from  Akoulina  Fedosyevna 
until  you  are  sure  that  Thoma  Pavelovitch 
really  holds  you  as  a  need." 

"Oh,  I  had  no  idea  of  telling  her  or  anybody 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING         223 

else,"  cried  the  girl  hastily.  "You  see,  when 
I  saw  you,  Lisa,  I  had  just  made  up  my  mind 
and  I  had  to  tell  somebody,  and  with  you  it  was 
different  from  the  rest." 

Sara  Lukievna  was  entirely  honest  in  her 
intention  of  keeping  her  purposes  in  relation 
to  Thoma  Kolomin  entirely  to  herself.  But 
before  the  cause  came  to  issue,  she  used  her 
privilege  and  changed  her  mind  and  with  pre- 
meditation included  his  father  in  her  confidence, 
because  she  decided  she  needed  him  in  the 
preparation  of  her  case.  That  the  judgment, 
when  reached,  would  be  in  her  favor,  was  never 
for  a  moment  doubtful  in  her  mind.  But  she 
was  too  much  interested  to  leave  to  chance  even 
a  detail  which  could  be  prearranged,  and  be- 
sides, being  young,  there  were  thrills  in  prepar- 
ing the  thing  properly  which  appealed  to  her 
artistic  sense. 

As  a  first  step,  therefore,  she  arrayed  herself 
in  her  most  becoming  clothes,  and  she  was  a 
vision  bewitching  enough  to  wheedle  any  man, 
when  she  came  in  on  Pavel  Kolomin  at  the  great 
house,  as  he  was  resting  himself  after  the  labors 
of  the  afternoon.  He  had  on  a  loose  jacket 
and  had  slipped  off  his  boots  and  was  lounging 


224  HIS  WIFE 

in  his  chair,  with  the  bottoms  of  his  feet  flat- 
tened comfortably  against  the  stove.  He 
dropped  them  to  the  floor  as  she  came  in  and 
with  a  smile  put  out  his  hand.  She  came  to 
him  at  once,  and  without  waiting  for  invitation 
perched  herself  beside  him  on  the  broad  arm  of 
his  chair. 

"What  are  you  trying  to  do?"  she  said, 
pointing  to  his  other  hand. 

' '  Mending  my  spectacles, ' '  he  answered  with- 
out looking  up.  She  watched  him  curiously 
while  he  spliced  the  bridge  with  a  strip  of  cop- 
per wire  and  clumsily  wound  the  break  with  a 
waxed  thread.  Then,  without  warning,  she 
leaned  suddenly  forward  and  kissed  him  on  the 
top  of  his  head. 

"You  are  not  wearing  well,  little  father,'* 
she  said  warningly.  "It  is  getting  very  pink 
here  at  the  top."  She  ran  the  ends  of  her  fin- 
gers lightly  over  the  patch  of  thinner  hair  and 
an  involuntary  shiver  ran  down  the  old  man's 
back. 

"Why  should  I  wear  well?"  he  said  with  a 
bluff  pretense  of  complaint.  "It  is  a  lesson 
youth  has  to  learn,  my  child,  that  experiences 
are  not  acquired  without  paying  every  kopeck 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOINO         225 

they  are  worth.  I  have  been  collecting  them 
now  for  over  sixty  years,  and  my  only  wonder  is 
that  I  have  any  hair  left  at  all."  The  girl 
slipped  an  arm  around  his  neck. 

"Poor  little  father!"  she  said  consolingly. 
* '  And  is  it  then  so  bad,  now  that  I  am  no  longer 
here  to  help  you  with  your  work?"  Pavel 
Pavelovitch  submitted  patiently,  holding  his 
spectacles  carefully  to  one  side  till  she  should 
see  fit  to  finish  her  caress. 

i l  One 's  children  always  go  away,  I  suppose, ' ' 
he  said  with  a  sentimental  sigh.  "It  is  one  of 
the  things  one  gets  for  being  old."  The  girl 
tightened  her  grasp  on  the  commandant's  neck 
and  put  down  her  head  till  her  cheek  rested 
against  his  hair. 

*  *  Would  you  be  glad,  little  father,  if  I  should 
tell  you  that  I  was  coming  back  to  live  with  you 
again?"  she  said  softly.  Pavel  Pavelovitch 
could  not  free  himself,  but  he  sat  stiffly  upright. 

"What  is  that!  What  is  that!"  he  de- 
manded in  his  loud  judicial  tone.  "You  say 
that  you  are  coming  back  here  to  live  ? ' ' 

"Perhaps,"  she  whispered.  The  old  man's 
eyes  began  to  twinkle  and  the  grim  lines  in  his 
face  relaxed. 


226  HIS  WIFE 

"Oh,  that  Thoma!"  he  cried  with  a  sudden 
illuminating  swell  of  pride.  "Is  he  not  a  very 
devil  of  a  man?"  He  unloosened  the  girl's 
arms  from  about  his  neck,  and  pulling  her 
round  in  front  of  him,  held  her  so  that  he  could 
see  her  face. 

"When  did  this  happen?  Why  have  I  not 
been  told  ? "  he  demanded,  as  if  she  were  a  pris- 
oner on  trial  for  her  life.  The  girl  wriggled 
vainly  to  be  free,  and  in  a  confusion  of  blushes 
finally  brought  her  eyes  to  his. 

"How  could  I  tell  you,  little  father?"  she 
said  with  appealing  earnestness.  "You  see, 
the  difficulty — it  is  one  of  those  things  which 
is  surely  going  to  happen,  but  which  has  not 
happened  yet." 

Pavel  Pavelovitch  looked  at  her  blankly  for  a 
moment  and  then  he  laughed  suddenly  aloud. 

"Well,  it  will  happen  then!"  he  cried.  "I 
would  stake  my  head  on  it,  if  you  have  made 
up  your  mind ! ' '  He  let  his  hands  slip  down  to 
Sara  Lukievna's  wrists,  and  drew  her  back 
again  beside  him  on  the  chair. 

"Let  us  talk  about  this,"  he  said  with  as- 
sumed gravity.  "As  I  understand  it,  Thoma 
knows  what  he  wants  and  you  know  what  he 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING         227 

wants,  but  he  has  not  told  you  yet  what  he 
wants.  Is  that  it?"  The  girl  nodded. 

"Then  what  is  the  matter  with  the  man  that 
he  does  not  speak  out?"  burst  out  the  com- 
mandant impatiently.  "I  never  would  have 
had  such  trouble  at  his  age." 

"Thoma  is  all  right,  little  father,"  urged  the 
girl  loyally.  "Only  he  is  not  quite  so  quick  a 
man  as  you." 

"Bah!"  he  grunted.  "Let  me  get  hold  of 
him  once  and  we  shall  see  how  he  will  move." 
The  girl  snuggled  down  closer  against  him  with 
a  satisfied  indrawing  of  her  breath. 

1 1  Oh,  if  you  would ! ' '  she  cried  breathlessly. 

"I  will!"  maintained  the  old  man  stoutly. 
"Just  tell  me  what  it  is  that  you  want  said." 

* '  Oh,  nothing  to  him ! '  '  broke  in  the  girl  hur- 
riedly. "I  would  not  have  you  do  that  for  the 
world !  But  there  is  another  way  in  which  you 
can  help  us,  if  you  will.  You  see,  it  would  have 
been  settled  long  before  this  if  we  had  had  a 
real  chance.  Thoma  is  not  quick  and  each  time 
before  he  gets  to  the  proper  place  some  one  has 
always  come  in  and  spoiled  it  all.  I  thought 
that  perhaps  this  afternoon — after  dinner,  you 
know,  when  it  is  quiet  and  beginning  to  grow 


228  HIS  WIFE 

dark — you  could  manage  it  with  the  matka  so 
that  we  should  have  a  little  time  alone.  You 
manage  her  so  well,  you  know,"  she  added  with 
insidious  flattery.  Pavel  Kolomin's  brows 
went  up  and  he  considered  silently  before  he 
spoke. 

"I  think  perhaps  I  would  rather  speak  to 
Thoma, ' '  he  said  a  little  ruefully. 

"Oh,  you  need  not  tell  her  anything  about 
it,"  interposed  the  girl  earnestly.  "It  is  only 
to  keep  her  doing  something  else,  so  that  we  can 
have  the  half -hour  to  ourselves." 

*  *  Very  well, ' '  said  the  commandant  with  a  re- 
turn to  his  rotund  official  voice.  "But  let  it 
not  be  for  a  minute  longer  than  that  time." 

Sara  Lukievna  gave  him  a  sudden  squeeze 
and  tilting  up  his  chin  kissed  him  squarely  on 
the  lips. 

"You  are  a  dear!"  she  whispered,  and  before 
Pavel  Pavelovitch  could  recover  from  the  at- 
tack, she  had  sprung  from  her  perch  and  fled 
lightly  from  the  room.  The  commandant  sat 
for  some  moments  communing  peacefully  with 
himself. 

"Dear,  dear!"  he  said.  "It  seems  only  yes- 
terday that  I  was  teachingi  that  boy  to  walk!" 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING         229 

Stooping,  lie  felt  for  his  spectacles,  which  had 
fallen  to  the  floor,  and  after  a  thoughtful  ex- 
amination of  the  half-mended  bridge  he  placed 
them  absent-mindedly  on  a  shelf  and  set  out  on 
a  pilgrimage  up-stairs. 

He  could  hear  Sara  Lukievna  singing  a  gay 
little  song  in  the  kitchen  as  he  went,  and  he 
stopped  on  the  stairs  and  listened  to  her  with 
a  knowing  shake  of  the  head.  When  he  reached 
his  wife,  the  importance  of  his  news  had  filled 
him  almost  to  bursting  and  he  stood  to  impart 
it  eagerly,  with  a  wide-eyed  foolish  smile  upon 
his  face. 

"Akoulina,  Thoma  is  going  to  marry  Sara 
Lukievna,"  he  announced  without  warning. 
The  old  lady  could  not  forbear  a  squeak  of  in- 
terest, though  for  the  sake  of  family  discipline 
she  managed  to  control  her  face. 

"You  are  like  a  salt  cone  in  a  window, 
Pavel,"  she  said  sharply.  "You  pick  up  every- 
thing that  comes  in  the  house." 

"No,  no.  It  is  true!"  he  protested.  "Sara 
just  told  me  so  herself."  His  earnestness 
routed  her  disbelief.  She  stood  up  breathless, 
facing  him  with  a  sudden  tension,  and  he  saw  in 
her  eyes  the  birth  of  the  half-guilty  look  which 


230  HIS  WIFE 

clearly  proclaimed  her  a  partner  with  him  in 
conviction  of  the  matter's  truth.  She  came  a 
step  nearer,  and  he  put  his  arm  around  her 
with  a  tenderness  that  stirred  her  to  an  unac- 
customed thrill.  She  yielded  stiffly,  while  the 
realization  of  his  tidings  sank  completely  in; 
and  then  with  a  sigh  of  content  she  laid  her 
cheek  against  his  arm. 

"Is  it  not  lovely?"  she  whispered.  He  gave 
a  half-breathed  assent  and  for  a  moment  they 
clung  together  as  shyly  as  if  the  joy  of  this  new 
love  had  been  their  own.  Then  the  old  lady  re- 
membered she  had  had  no  word  of  the  betrothal 
beyond  the  naked  fact  and  demanded  corrobora- 
tion  at  her  husband's  hands. 

The  commandant  was  garrulously  glad  to  tell 
but,  as  he  proceeded,  an  embarrassment  seized 
him  lest  his  wife  should  consider  that  his  an- 
nouncement of  the  matter  had  been  premature. 
He  temporized,  therefore,  as  he  could,  gilding 
the  unpleasant  vagueness  of  the  truth  and 
avoiding  with  such  conscious  effort  all  definite 
committal,  as  to  time  and  place,  that  the  old 
lady  guessed  intuitively  there  was  something  he 
was  striving  to  conceal. 

"What!"    she    said    when    he    was    done. 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING         231 

say  he  has  never  asked  her  to  be  his 
wife?" 

"No,"  admitted  the  commandant  feebly, 
' '  but  he  will  this  afternoon. ' ' 

"Then  why,"  she  demanded  tragically,  with 
a  passionate  outwave  of  her  hands,  "why  did 
you  come  to  me  and  say  they  were  betrothed  ? ' ' 
The  commandant  shrank  sheepishly  before  her 
wrath,  and  cleared  his  throat  with  a  deprecating 
cough. 

"I  suppose,"  he  said  humbly,  "it  was  be- 
cause when  Sara  told  me,  she  seemed  so  sure." 
The  old  lady  gave  herself  up  to  a  very  whirl- 
wind of  wrath. 

"Oh,  what  a  man  it  is!"  she  cried  ironically. 
"A  girl  tells  him  she  is  going  to  be  betrothed 
to-morrow,  and  the  simple  one  goes  gaily 
around  announcing  it  to-day.  Sara  is  a  minx. 
She  should  wait  till  she  is  asked.  It  is  not 
proper  beforehand  for  a  girl  to  be  so  sure!" 
She  trotted  impatiently  over  to  her  dressing- 
table  and  began  emphatically  picking  up  the 
articles  upon  it  and  arranging  them  in  place. 
Her  husband  watched  her  with  crestfallen  look. 

"It  is  only  until  this  afternoon,  you  know," 
he  urged  dejectedly. 


232  HIS  WIFE 

"Only  till  this  afternoon,  is  it!"  she  re- 
peated. "Well,  we  shall  see  about  this  after- 
noon !  Why  do  you  stand  there  like  a  statue  on 
a  stone?"  she  burst  out  furiously.  "Go  away, 
so  that  I  can  get  something  on  me  and  go 
down. ' ' 

The  commandant  obeyed  meekly  and  left  the 
room.  But  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  outside,  he 
halted,  and  stood  looking  ruefully  back.  His, 
animation  was  all  gone,  and  his  consciousness 
was  dismally  busy  with  what  was  to  happen 
when  his  wife  descended  on  the  unsuspecting 
girl  down-stairs. 

He  listened  for  some  sound  of  Sara  Lukievna. 
but  she  had  finished  with  her  singing  and  the 
house  was  forbiddingly,  almost  solemnly,  still. 
His  depression  deepened  as  he  tried  in  his 
anxiety  to  formulate  a  remedy  for  the  blunder 
he  had  made,  but  he  could  think  of  nothing 
better  than  to  wait  and  waylay  Akoulina  Fe- 
dosyevna  and  try  her  temper  when  she  should 
be  dressed. 

And  here  she  found  him  thirty  minutes  later, 
sitting  on  a  step  in  a  dejected  heap,  his  elbows 
on  his  knees  and  his  chin  set  soberly  between 
his  hands.  He  rose  at  the  first  sound  of  her 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING          233 

coming  and  faced  her  with  an  air  of  apology 
which  changed  to  one  of  blank  surprise  as  he 
saw  how  she  was  dressed. 

She  had  improved  her  time  to  adorn  herself 
with  all  that  was  most  precious  to  her  of  array. 
Her  underskirt  was  gray,  with  a  front  of  some 
white  tissue,  delicate  as  lace,  and  over  this  she 
had  drawn  a  sarafan  of  green  which  turned 
back  at  each  side  so  that  the  embroidered  edges 
looked  like  bands  of  silver  clear  down  to  her 
feet. 

She  had  still  about  her  carriage  suggestions 
of  offended  dignity,  and  there  was  tremulous 
mobility  in  her  face  and  a  misty  softness  in  her 
eyes  which  told  that  peace  had  come  to  her  only 
at  the  price  of  tears. 

"It  is  for  the  betrothal,"  she  announced  with 
unsteady  condescension.  "They  are  both  dear 
to  me,  and,  after  all,  Thoma  is  my  own  son." 
The  commandant's  heart  warmed  to  her  with  a 
sudden  rush  of  feeling,  and  as  he  took  in  the 
full  detail  of  her  costume  his  face  began  to 
beam. 

"  Dear  me!"  he  said.  "Dear  me!  To-day 
will  be  a  festival  indeed!"  He  bent  ceremo- 
niously before  his  wife,  and  with  a  fine  and 


234  HIS  WIFE 

tender  deference  lifted  her  hand  and  carried  it 
to  his  lips.v 

"There  is  a  miracle  here,"  he  said  softly. 
"It  is  not  you  I  see,  but  a  girl  I  knew  a  long, 
long  time  ago."  Akoulina  Fedosyevna's  eyes 
went  shyly  up  to  his  in  acknowledgment  of  the 
compliment,  and  she  gave  a  little  flutter  of  as- 
sent. 

"I  have  not  forgotten,"  she  said  almost  un- 
der her  breath. 

"And  there  was  a  betrothal  then,"  he  con- 
tinued. 

"Yes,"  she  assented  expectantly. 

"And  the  girl  wore  a  sarafan  with  a  silver 
lining. ' ' 

"Yes,  and  it  was  green  like  this,"  she  broke 
in  eagerly.  "And  do  you  remember,  Pavel, 
how,  when  I  was  afraid  it  would  be  crumpled, 
you  laughed  and  slipped  your  arms  under  it  so 
that  it  would  not  be  mussed?" 

"Like  this,"  he  said  absently,  and  drew  her 
close  against  his  breast.  They  remained  thus 
for  some  moments,  held  by  the  dear  remem- 
brance, and  laughing  self-consciously  as  they 
looked  into  each  other's  eyes.  Then  there  was 
the  sound  of  a  door  closed  in  the  hall  below  and 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING          235 

the  old  lady  slipped  agilely  away  from  him  as 
if  their  intimacy  was  still  something  to  be  hid- 
den from  the  world. 

*  *  Are  we  not  foolish,  Pavel ! ' '  she  said  softly. 
' '  Come.  It  is  time  that  we  went  down. ' ' 

1  'No!"  he  protested  stoutly.  "Surely  it 
needs  no  apology  that  you  are  still  young  to 
me  after  thirty  years."  But  he  acquiesced  in 
her  decision,  and  giving  her  his  hand  with  a 
courtesy  which  brought  a  russet  rush  of  color  to 
her  cheeks,  he  led  her  ceremoniously  down- 
stairs. 

It  was  Thoma  Kolomin  who  had  come  in  and 
they  found  him  clearing  himself  of  his  outdoor 
wraps.  He  came  to  them  with  a  smile,  and, 
taking  his  mother's  hands,  he  stooped  and 
kissed  her  affectionately  on  the  cheek. 

"You  are  like  a  breath  of  spring,"  he  said 
gallantly.  "But  is  it  a  feast  day  or  a  wedding 
that  has  beguiled  you  into  bloom?"  The  old 
lady  flashed  a  look  of  guilty  intelligence  at  her 
husband  and  gravely  shook  her  head. 

"When  you  are  older,  Thoma,  you  will 
know,"  she  said  with  an  air  that  was  a  dismissal 
of  his  demand.  "Your  father  understands  it, 
but  it  is  not  yet  proper  that  you  should  be  told. ' ' 


236  HIS  WIFE 

But  when  Sara  Lukievna  spied  her  foster 
mother  she  understood  without  a  question  or  a 
word.  As  the  three  came  into  the  great  room 
she  saw  them  and  stood,  like  a  wild  thing  that 
is  startled,  for  the  time  necessary  to  dart  at 
Pavel  Kolomin  a  swift  inquiring  look.  There 
was  reassurance  for  her,  however,  in  the  cheer- 
ful complaisance  of  his  grin,  and  with  an  in- 
articulate cry  she  ran  to  Akoulina  Fedosyevna, 
and  seized  her  convulsively  in  her  arms. 

"0  mamatchka!"  she  whispered  almost  in 
the  other's  ear.  "I  am  not  half  good  enough. 
I  do  not  deserve  that  you  should  do  so  much." 

"Hush!"  breathed  the  older  woman  softly. 
"It  is  not  good  at  any  time  that  a  man  should 
hear  a  heresy  like  that."  She  kept  her  arm 
around  the  girl  even  after  she  had  grown  calm, 
and  drew  her  with  her  to  the  sideboard  where 
the  preliminary  lunch  was  spread. 

"Wait,"  said  the  commandant,  as  Thoma 
Kolomin  prepared  to  pour  out  wine.  "We 
should  have  something  better  on  a  day  like 
this."  He  disappeared  from  the  room  for  a 
moment  and  came  back  bearing  in  his  hands  a 
small,  squat,  dirty  jug. 

"It  is  plum  brandy  which  has  been  twelve 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING          237 

years  in  the  stone,"  he  announced  solemnly, 
and  poured  the  liquor  out  in  little  glasses  which 
he  set  before  each  one  along  the  board.  ''Drink 
it,"  he  said  with  a  wink  at  Sara  Lukievna 
which  Thoma  Pavel ovitch  did  not  see.  "It  is 
a  'twenty  drops'  which  would  not  dishonor 
either  a  king's  health  or  a  betrothal  pledge." 
The  girl  flushed  furiously  and  left  her  glass  un- 
tasted  where  it  stood.  The  commandant  looked 
at  her  with  assumed  surprise. 

"Take  it!"  he  roared.  "I  will  not  have  the 
memory  of  my  betrothal  flouted  by  a  girl." 
Sara  Lukievna  laughed,  but  she  made  no  mo- 
tion to  take  up  the  glass. 

"I  will  not,"  she  declared  positively.  "It  is 
bad  luck,  little  father,  for  a  girl  to  drink,  even 
to  the  ghost  of  a  betrothal,  before  she  has  had 
a  chance  to  pledge  her  own. ' ' 

"Very  well!"  said  the  commandant  impress- 
ively. "I  shall  drink  the  toast  by  myself  then; 
and  to  show  that  I  hold  no  malice,  I  pledge  it 
formally  to  'Sara's  chance.'  " 

"I  will  join  you  in  that,"  said  Thoma  Pavel- 
ovitch  with  sudden  interest.  The  two  men 
clicked  their  glasses  gravely  and,  before  drink- 
ing, bowed  to  each  other  with  ceremonious 


238  HIS  WIFE 

form.  But  when  they  turned  again  Sara  Lu- 
kievna  had  fled  and  taken  Akoulina  Fedosyevna 
with  her  into  the  dining-room  beyond. 

The  two  men  followed  and  all  four  took  their 
places  at  the  formal  board.  There  had  been  no 
special  preparation,  and  the  dinner  moved  in 
the  plain  routine  of  the  ordinary  meal.  But 
the  atmosphere  of  the  place  was  somehow 
charged  with  something  different  from  that  of 
the  ordinary  day.  There  was  an  intangible 
stimulus  about  it  which  held  the  air  like  a  fra- 
grance and  kept  the  senses  alert  with  the  con- 
tinual suggestion  of  something  unexpected  that 
was  to  come. 

The  three  who  were  conspirators  were 
frankly  conscious  of  it,  and  knew  instinctively 
whence  the  inspiration  came.  But  Thoma 
Kolomin,  ignorant  of  the  plot,  saw  only  that 
there  was  some  mysterious  understanding, 
among  the  others  at  the  board,  which  moved 
them  strangely  and  keyed  them  to  an  unusual 
note  of  judgment  as  to  what  was  humorous 
in  ordinary  speech. 

His  father  watched  him  closely,  canvassing 
for  symptoms  that  Sara's  diagnosis  of  him  had 
not  been  wrong.  He  verified  them  one  by  one, 


f 

THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING          239 

even  to  the  leisureliness  of  which  she  had  com- 
plained. No  one  could  watch  the  young  man's 
manner  toward  the  girl,  the  way  his  eyes  fol- 
lowed her,  and  the  grave  attention  with  which 
he  hung  upon  her  lightest  words,  without  ex- 
periencing the  conviction  that  she  was  to  him 
an  object  of  most  intimate  desire. 

But  his  was  not  a  passion  which  dared  to 
raise  its  eyes.  She  had  become  so  wonderful  to 
him,  a  thing  of  such  perfected  daintiness  and 
fire,  that  in  his  thought  he  placed  her  always  up 
above  him,  like  the  Virgin  on  the  wall,  and 
never  once  suspected  that  she  might  like  better 
to  come  down  from  her  pedestal  and  stand 
frankly  at  his  side. 

But  there  was  no  doubt  but  his  attitude  con- 
stituted a  justification  of  Sara  Lukievna's 
faith,  and  in  deference  to  the  prospect  the  com- 
mandant sent  for  the  squat  jug.  Before  the 
meal  was  over  the  " twenty  drops"  had  become 
forty  and  the  forty  a  preliminary  unit  in  a 
steadily  increasing  scale,  the  surmounting  of 
which  failed  not  to  soften  his  heart  and  limber 
joyously  his  tongue. 

He  became  mysteriously  confidential  and 
elate,  told  garrulous  stories  whose  meanings 


240  HIS  WIFE 

were  palpably  molded  on  the  sentimental  issue 
which  was  so  strongly  in  his  mind,  and  pro- 
pounded toasts  so  appallingly  suggestive  of 
the  secret  which  called  them  forth  that  the  two 
women  were  at  much  concern  lest  he  should 
plumply  blurt  out  the  truth. 

Nor  did  he  show  improvement  when  the 
sweetmeats  had  been  served  and  the  time  ar- 
rived for  him  to  fulfill  his  promise  and  take 
away  his  wife.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  suggest 
that  the  hour  for  action  was  immediately  at 
hand,  but  it  was  equally  plain  that  the  convic- 
tion had  possessed  him  that  the  affair  could 
only  reach  a  sane  result  if  he  remained  and 
looked  after  it  himself.  In  accordance  with 
this  idea  he  settled  himself  in  his  chair  and  took 
out  his  copper  pipe. 

"Do  not  mind  me/'  he  said  cheerfully.  "I 
think  I  shall  sit  here  and  smoke  until  I  am 
ready  for  my  nap."  Sara  Lukievna  watched 
him  with  amusement  in  her  eyes.  But  as  the 
minutes  were  consumed  and  no  progress  ap- 
parent toward  the  opportunity  she  craved,  she 
grew  uneasy  and  then  grave,  and  finally  in  des- 
peration turned  to  Akoulina  Fedosyevna,  the 
tears  starting  in  her  eyes.  The  older  woman 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING         241 

responded  instinctively  to  the  girl's  silent  call 
and  without  a  moment's  hesitation  went  at 
once  to  her  relief.  Going  to  her  husband,  she 
bent  above  him,  as  if  for  a  caress,  and  put  her 
arm  around  his  neck. 

"You  stupid!"  she  whispered  fiercely,  draw- 
ing her  arm  so  tight  that  it  almost  took  away 
his  breath.  "Do  you  want  to  spoil  the  whole 
thing?  Come  away  with  me  at  once!"  The 
little  man  struggled  frantically  to  an  upright 
position,  and  pulled  at  her  arm  till  he  could 
get  his  breath. 

"Let  me  alone,"  he  gasped.  "I  am  all  right 
here  where  I  am."  She  paid  no  attention  to 
his  struggles,  but  with  her  arm  still  round  him, 
looked  up  at  the  younger  pair. 

"Pavel  is  a  little  tired,"  she  announced  apol- 
ogetically. "He  thinks  it  would  be  better  if  he 
should  go  up-stairs  for  a  time  and  have  a 
nap."  The  commandant  gave  a  subdued  growl 
of  protest  as  she  pulled  him  to  his  feet.  But 
for  thirty  years  he  had  been  submitting  to  like 
discipline,  and  he  lacked  the  force  to  make  a 
contest  now. 

The  couple  made  uninterrupted  progress  to- 
ward the  door,  though  as  a  measure  of  precau- 


242  HIS  WIFE 

tion  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  kept  her  hands 
steadily  on  her  husband,  lest  in  a  stubborn  mo- 
ment he  should  attempt  revolt.  She  held  up 
the  curtain  and  made  him  pass  out  first,  and, 
before  following  him,  paused  to  add  a  £ nal  word 
to  the  fiction  of  their  going,  and  saluted  Sara 
Lukievna  and  her  son  with  a  profound  bow. 

"Pavel  is  so  bad-tempered  when  he  does  not 
get  his  sleep,"  she  said.  "Perhaps  after  a 
little  time  we  shall  come  back."  Once  outside 
in  the  hall,  she  pounced  on  her  husband  and 
dragged  him  into  the  little  room  across  the 
way. 

"There!"  she  said.  "Sit  here  until  it  is 
done.  It  is  not  you  who  are  going  to  be  be- 
trothed." The  exhilaration  of  the  stimulant 
which  he  had  had  at  dinner  was  beginning  to 
die  away,  and  for  some  time  the  old  man  was 
content  to  sit  meekly  where  she  had  placed  him, 
without  even  the  proffer  of  a  word.  But  in  the 
end  he  forgot  his  injury  in  his  interest,  and, 
getting  to  his  feet,  began  to  walk  restlessly  up 
and  down  the  room. 

"How  much  time  ought  it  to  take  for  a  thing 
of  this  sort?"  he  asked  fretfully.  "It  seems  to 
me  they  have  been  there  long  enough."  The 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING          243 

old  lady  came  close  to  him  and  vouchsafed  him 
a  radiant  little  smile. 

"What  is  time  when  one  is  in  love?"  she  said 
softly.  "I  do  not  think,  Pavel,  that  they  will 
find  it  long."  He  leaned  forward  and  kissed 
her  mechanically  because  she  was  so  near. 

"I  suppose  so,  I  suppose  so,"  he  said  with 
whimsical  discontent.  "But  if  you  had  let  me 
stay  in  there,  I  believe  that  the  trick  would 
have  been  turned  in  half  the  time."  He  wan- 
dered over  to  the  door  and  listened  intently  for 
sounds  of  the  distant  fray.  Then,  hearing  noth- 
ing, he  ignored  his  wife  and  began  to  tiptoe  out 
across  the  hall.  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  was 
after  him  in  a  moment,  and  seized  him  convul- 
sively by  the  arm. 

"You  shall  not!  You  shall  not!"  she  whis- 
pered tragically.  "I  will  not  have  it  spoiled." 
The  commandant  shook  her  off  with  the  first 
real  anger  he  had  shown. 

"Let  me  alone,"  he  said  in  the  same  sharp 
undertone.  "I  told  you  that  I  would  not  go 
in. ' '  She  released  her  hold  as  if  he  had  struck 
her,  and  dropped  meekly  back.  The  command- 
ant proceeded  softly  until  he  had  crossed  the 
hall  and  come  to  the  doorway  of  the  other  room. 


244  HIS  WIFE 

Standing  close  to  the  heavy  curtain,  he  moved 
the  edge  of  it  aside  until  he  could  look  into 
the  space  beyond. 

What  he  saw  there  evidently  proved  of  in- 
terest, for  he  remained  for  some  moments  with 
his  face  glued  to  the  place.  Then  as  cautiously 
withdrawing  it,  he  turned  with  a  smile  and 
beckoned  to  his  wife  with  a  silent  backward 
movement  of  his  head.  But  the  old  lady  shook 
her  own  head  vigorously,  and  remained  where 
she  stood. 

"I  would  not  think  of  it!"  she  whispered 
scornfully.  "I  would  not  spy  on  them  for 
worlds!"  Pavel  Pavelovitch  was  less  thin- 
skinned,  and  with  a  shrug  of  deprecation  set 
himself  industriously  to  see.  The  old  lady's 
conscience  did  not  forbid  her  to  stand  and  watch 
him,  and  she  was  nearly  dead  with  curiosity  be- 
fore he  remembered  her  again  and  brought  to 
her  a  crumb  of  news.  It  had  been  evident,  for 
some  time,  that  he  had  been  growing  impatient ; 
and  when  at  length  he  suddenly  abandoned  his 
position  at  the  curtain  and  came  to  her,  she 
was  prepared  to  hear  the  worst  he  might  an- 
nounce. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  the  man,  anyway?" 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOINO         245 

he  burst  out  crossly.  "He  does  not  seem  to 
know  what  to  do.'* 

"Are  they  there?"  breathed  the  old  lady 
softly. 

"There?  Of  course  they  are  there!  But 
that  is  about  all  there  is  of  it,  so  far  as  doing 
things  is  concerned.  Sara  is  giving  him  oppor- 
tunities enough,  but  Thoma  does  not  seem  to 
see  them  when  they  come."  He  skipped  vigor- 
ously back  to  his  post  of  vantage,  and  took  a 
new  survey  of  what  was  going  on  beyond.  Sud- 
denly he  turned  and  beckoned,  a  new  excite- 
ment shining  in  his  eyes. 

"Come  quick,"  he  breathed.  "I  think  it  is 
going  to  be  all  right."  The  old  lady  forgot  her 
scruples  and  fairly  flew  across  the  passage  to 
his  side. 

The  twilight  had  deepened  almost  into  dark- 
ness, and  things  in  the  room  were  indistinct  and 
shadowy,  except  that  a  flare  of  red  in  the  dis- 
tant sunset  sky  lay  across  the  square  of  the 
western  window,  like  the  trail  of  a  smoky 
torch.  Sara  Lukievna  and  Thoma  Pavelovitch 
had  found  a  place  in  the  eastern  corner,  near 
the  stove. 

The  girl  had  chosen  a  seat  under  the  small 


246  HIS  WIFE 

lamp  fastened  half-way  up  the  wall,  and  the 
yellow  light  from  it  warmed  up  the  tones  of 
her  ruddy  hair  till  it  shone  like  a  halo  round 
her  face.  The  illumination,  however,  made  no 
serious  impression  on  the  room,  and  Thoma 
Pavelovitch,  sitting  at  a  discreet  distance,  was 
almost  outside  of  the  magic  of  its  rays. 

The  girl's  face  was  flushed  and  she  was  talk- 
ing animatedly,  but  in  low  tones.  Thoma  Pavel- 
ovitch responded  for  the  most  part  in  mono- 
syllables and  at  all  times  bent  toward  her  with 
a  deferential  reserve  which,  each  time  he 
thought  about  it,  made  his  father  swear  softly 
under  his  breath.  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  looked 
in  vain  for  the  signs  of  agreement  suggested 
by  her  husband  as  figuring  the  near  resolving 
of  the  fray.  The  delay,  however,  was  not  to 
be  for  long.  Sara  Lukievna's  patience  had 
worn  threadbare  in  the  strenuous  game  and, 
without  warning,  she  made  up  her  mind  to  ven- 
ture on  a  heroic  measure  of  new  play.  A  pause 
had  fallen  between  her  and  the  man  beside  her, 
and  in  the  silence  of  it  she  leaned  suddenly  for- 
ward and  looked  straight  into  Thoma  Pavelo- 
vitch's  eyes. 

"Why  do  you  not  do  it?    You  never  can  find 


THOMA  GOES  A-WOOING         247 

out  till  you  do!"  she  said  softly,  and  stopped 
with  lips  parted  like  a  frightened  child's.  The 
young  man  jumped  as  if  he  had  been  struck,  and 
rose  nervously  to  his  feet. 

"What?"  he  said  sharply.  "What  was  it 
that  you  said ! ' '  She  rose  as  he  did,  almost  un- 
consciously, and  the  color  blazed  in  her  cheeks 
till  she  was  fain  to  cover  them  with  her  hands. 
She  did  not  speak,  but  her  eyes  held  themselves 
bravely  on  his  and  there  was  a  joy  of  giving  in 
them  that  even  his  slowness  could  not  mis- 
understand. 

"Is  it  true!"  he  said  almost  sternly.  "Does 
it  mean  that  you  care  for  me — that  I  may  have 
you  for  all  time?"  He  reached  for  her  hands, 
but  she  held  them  tight  against  her  face. 

*  *  Perhaps  so, ' '  she  said  in  a  smothered  voice. 
"But  if  you  do  not  care — " 

"Care!"  he  cried.  "I  have  wanted  yon 
above  all  things,  but  you  were  so  far  away  that 
I  never  dared  to  hope!"  Sara  Lukievna's 
hands  went  down  and  she  faced  him  with  a 
nervous  laugh. 

' '  Then  why  have  you  never  told  me  so  !  "  she 
cried  tremulously,  and  threw  herself  forward 
against  his  breast. 


248  HIS  WIFE 

The  commandant  waited  until  he  saw  the  red 
head  go  down  in  eclipse  behind  the  brown,  and 
then,  seizing  his  wife,  he  whirled  her  wildly 
with  him  into  the  little  room  across  the  hall. 

' '  He  has  done  it !  He  has  done  it ! "  he  cried 
joyfully,  and  danced  madly  around  her  in  the 
dark.  "Was  it  not  fine!"  he  said  breathlessly, 
stopping  in  his  gyrations  to  seize  her  round  the 
waist.  "I  want  to  shout.  It  makes  my  blood 
go  boiling  in  my  veins. ' '  But  Akoulina  Fedosy- 
evna  took  her  enjoyment  in  a  different  way. 
Being  a  woman,  she  found  no  wish  to  dance, 
but,  seizing  the  first  moment  when  the  partner 
of  her  joys  was  still,  she  clung  to  him  convul- 
sively, and  put  her  head  against  his  breast  and 
cried. 


CHAPTER 

THE    MEETING    ON    THE    HILL 

Outside,  the  sunlight  was  clear  and  brilliant, 
though  the  blue  of  the  sky  still  had  in  it  a  hard 
tinge  of  cold.  The  afternoon  lingered  percep- 
tibly and  Pavel  Kolomin,  watching  it  through 
his  window,  was  conscious  of  the  impression 
that  the  days  were  again  beginning  to  be  long. 

It  was  not  that  there  was  any  startling 
change.  There  was  the  same  silentness  in  the 
landscape,  the  same  lack  of  everything  that 
moved.  But  there  was  a  sense  of  moisture  in 
the  air  that  was  a  promise,  and  the  com- 
mandant had  found  himself  bearing  unwilling 
witness  to  its  presence,  in  the  twinges  of  rheu- 
matism it  brought  him  in  his  knees. 

For  three  days  he  had  defied  the  onslaughts 
of  the  disease,  but,  on  the  fourth,  the  swelling 
brought  him  to  a  truce  and  he  rebelliously  re- 
signed himself  to  confinement  in  the  house.  He 
refused  to  go  to  bed,  however,  and  sat  all  day 

249 


250  HIS  WIFE 

by  the  window  where  he  could  look  out  on  the 
post.  It  was  not  so  comfortable  there  as  near 
the  stove,  but  he  found  a  grim  sense  of  still 
being  in  the  fight,  in  thus  exposing  himself  to 
the  danger  of  the  draughts. 

"The  sap  starts  easier  in  you  young  fellows 
than  it  does  in  me,"  he  said  to  Thoma  Pavelo- 
vitch,  "but  I  shall  have  as  much  in  me  as  any 
of  you  by  the  time  the  world  gets  warm. '  * 

Sara  Lukievna  and  his  wife  tended  him  assid- 
uously and  stood  vicariously  between  him  and 
an  irritating  world.  The  mantle  of  his  author- 
ity in  the  post  fell  temporarily  on  the  shoulders 
of  Luka  Strukof  and  his  son.  These  two  be- 
came his  eyes  and  ears,  and,  though  he  found 
it  difficult  to  believe,  kept  the  wheels  of  govern- 
ment oiled  and  turning  with  quite  as  much 
smoothness  as  if  the  commandant  himself  had 
officiated  at  the  machine. 

The  close  companionship  thus  brought  about 
stirred  into  life  an  entirely  new  bond  of  sym- 
pathy between  the  two  men.  There  had  been 
no  active  antipathy  on  either  side,  but  Luka 
Strukof 's  reticence  had  kept  him  from  direct 
advance  and  Thoma  Kolomin  had  come  to  the 
acquaintance  with  an  opinion  shadowed  by  the 


suspicion  born  of  their  first  meeting  on  the 
boat.  But  the  interest  of  the  younger  man  in 
Sara  Lukievna  made  him  turn  to  her  father 
with  a  more  open  heart,  and  when  the  chance 
of  Pavel  Kolomin's  illness  threw  them  thus 
closely  together  for  the  time,  he  gratefully  em- 
braced his  opportunity  and  set  himself  to  make 
the  man  his  friend.  The  commandant  recog- 
nized  the  new  intimacy  almost  before  it  was 
assured,  and  was  at  no  pains  to  keep  his  satis- 
faction hid. 

"I  knew  that  you  would  like  him,"  he  de- 
clared confidentially  to  his  son.  "He  does  not 
crack  so  easily  at  first,  but  he  is  all  solid  meat 
inside."  „ 

If  Pavel  Kolomin  could  have  had  four  win- 
dows to  look  out  of  facing  the  four  ways,  his 
world  might  still  have  seemed  reasonably  within 
his  grasp.  Having  but  one,  he  gave  close  heed 
to  all  that  came  in  the  range  bounded  by  its 
four  casements  and  missed  few  details  of  what 
happened  in  his  view. 

The  outlook  embraced  but  a  small  portion  of 
the  post,  but  he  found  in  it  the  level  square,  the 
house  at  the  gate,  the  entrance  to  the  stockade, 
and  beyond  it  the  landing,  the  broad  bend  of 


252  HIS  WIFE 

the  frozen  river  and,  in  the  ultimate  distance. 
Konovalof's  squat  watch-tower,  which  looked 
back  at  him  with  malevolent  challenge  from  the 
other  side.  In  the  three  days  of  his  imprison- 
ment he  had  formed  many  judgments  from  the 
happenings  which  thus  passed  before  his  eyes, 
and  it  was  impatience  over  one  of  them  which 
made  him  finally  reach  out  and  ring  sharply  the 
little  bell  which  stood  beside  him  on  a  bench. 
Luka  Strukof  answered  the  summons  almost  at 
once,  but  the  commandant  began  to  speak  before 
he  was  fairly  in  the  room. 

"Where  is  Thoma  Pavelovitchf "  he  de- 
manded. "Why  does  he  not  report  when  he 
comes  in?" 

"I  do  not  know,  your  Wellborn/'  answered 
the  man  respectfully.  "I  have  not  seen  him 
since  you  sent  him  out. ' ' 

"But  he  is  returned,"  cried  the  sick  man 
testily.  "I  saw  him  when  he  came  in  through 
the  gate." 

"That  may  be,"  replied  the  other  sooth- 
ingly, *  *  but  he  has  not  yet  come  into  the  house. ' ' 
The  commandant  shrugged  his  shoulders  with 
so  vehement  an  irritation  that  unconsciously  he 
stirred  his  disabled  leg.  The  twinge  that  came 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL     253 

in  it  sent  one  hand  to  it  involuntarily  and  with 
the  other  he  waved  Luka  Strukof  furiously  to- 
ward the  door. 

"What  are  you  standing  there  and  talking 
for?"  he  shouted  indignantly.  "Get  out  and 
find  him  and  bring  him  to  me  at  once!"  Luka 
Strukof 's  eyes  twinkled  at  the  querulous  show 
of  temper  and  he  saluted  with  a  prompt  gesture 
of  assent. 

"You  shall  have  him  as  soon  as  I  can  find 
him,"  he  said  hastily,  and  left  the  commandant 
to  the  reduction  of  his  unwelcome  pain.  He 
met  the  man  he  sought  at  the  bottom  of  the 
stairs. 

' '  Come  to  your  father, ' '  he  said,  seizing  him 
by  the  arm  with  a  pretense  of  urgent  haste. 
1 1  He  saw  you  through  the  window  and  is  growl- 
ing like  a  bear  that  you  have  not  come  in  yet 
to  report."  Thoma  Pavelovitch  threw  off  the 
persuading  hand  and  stood  blinking,  while  the 
sense  of  the  information  arranged  itself  in  his 
mind. 

"But  there  was  nothing  to  tell  him,"  he  said 
with  slow  surprise.  "He  sent  me  to  the  river 
on  a  wild-goose  chase." 

"Well,  for  the  peace  of  the  saints,  go  up 


254  HIS  WIFE 

and  tell  him  that.  If  you  do  not,  he  will  have 
the  roof  down  on  our  heads."  Thoma  Pavel- 
ovitch's  face  relaxed  into  a  smile. 

"I  suppose  I  might  do  that,"  he  said.  ''It 
never  occurred  to  me  that  it  would  ease  his 
mind."  Of  his  own  impulse  he  started  up  the 
stairs  and,  Luka  Antonovitch  preceding  him, 
flung  open  the  door  as  if  he  were  ushering  in 
a  king. 

"Here  he  is,  your  Wellborn,"  he  announced 
triumphantly.  "I  met  him  in  the  hall  as  he 
came  in!"  Pavel  Kolomin's  irritation  had  ex- 
pended itself  in  its  first  outburst  and  beyond  a 
searching  glance  at  his  son  he  received  the 
statement  with  an  unmoved  face. 

"Well,"  he  said  briskly,  "what  sort  of  fish 
did  you  find  out  there,  and  how  many  were 
there  in  the  trap?"  Thoma  Pavelovitch  shrug- 
ged his  shoulders,  and,  as  he  answered,  there 
was  a  shade  of  annoyance  in  his  voice. 

'  *  You  might  as  well  have  waited  for  the  even- 
ing inspection,"  he  said  complainingly.  "It 
was  a  useless  journey.  There  was  nothing 
whatever  in  the  trap."  Luka  Antonovitch 
looked  for  an  outburst  of  temper  from  the 
commandant,  but  Pavel  Pavelovitch 's  face 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL    255 

remained  a  mask  and  he  kept  his  eyes  fixed 
steadily  on  his  son. 

"There  was  a  fish  in  it,  and  a  large  one,"  he 
said  quietly.  "I  saw  the  telltale  bending  till  it 
nearly  touched  the  ice." 

"Well,  there  was  none  in  it  when  I  got 
there,"  persisted  Thoma  Pavelovitch  stub- 
bornly. "The  telltale  was  as  straight  as  if  it 
had  been  driven  down." 

"That  is  just  what  I  wanted  to  know,"  re- 
turned the  commandant  gravely.  His  face  set 
in  harder  lines  and  he  fixed  his  eyes  on  those 
of  his  son  with  a  sternness  that  was  almost  re- 
buke. 

"You  are  young,  I  know,"  he  said  coldly, 
"but  for  all  that  you  might  have  understood 
that  it  was  more  than  a  sick  man's  whim  about 
a  fish  which  made  me  send  you  out  there  upon 
the  ice.  That  there  was  a  fish  in  the  trap  there 
is  no  doubt.  But  it  is  not  that  which  counts, 
but  the  fact  that,  having  been  there,  it  was  not 
there  when  you  reached  the  place.  I  suspected 
that  it  would  be  so,  but  I  could  not  be  sure  till 
I  had  sent  you  out."  Thoma  Kolomin's  face 
flushed  at  the  rebuke,  but  he  kept  his  eyes  fixed 
sternly  on  his  father's  face. 


256  HIS  WIFE 

"You  mean,"  he  said  at  last,  "that  before  I 
got  there  some  one  had  taken  the  fish  out  of 
the  trap?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  commandant,  "I  saw  the 
man  from  the  window,  but  could  not  be  sure 
what  he  was  about."  Thoma  Kolomin  consid- 
ered this  attentively,  as  he  had  done  the  in- 
formation that  had  gone  before. 

"Who  was  he?  Could  you  tell?"  he  said  at 
last.  The  commandant's  shoulders  went  up 
deprecatingly. 

"It  was  too  far,"  he  said.  "But  I  have  a 
feeling  it  was  one  of  those  young  fellows  from 
the  other  side  who  used  to  come  over  to  see 
Sara  before  you  came  back  to  the  post."  For 
once  Thoma  Kolomin  found  his  answer  quickly. 

"Why  should  he  be  coming  now!"  he  burst 
out  hotly  and  stopped  as  suddenly,  as  he  saw 
the  twinkle  in  Luka  Strukof's  eyes.  But  the 
commandant  did  not  smile.  . 

"I  do  not  know,"  he  said  quietly.  "Perhaps 
Luka  here  can  tell  you.  The  man  went  also  to 
his  house."  Luka  Strukof,  too,  was  slow  in 
showing  what  he  felt,  but  he  had  been  so  lately 
under  suspicion  that  the  commandant  touched 
him  on  a  tender  spot. 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL     257 

"What  is  that?"  he  cried  sharply.  "You 
say  you  saw  the  man  go  into  my  house!" 

"I  do  not  know  that  he  went  in,"  said  the 
commandant  in  the  same  steady  tone,  "but  he 
entered  by  the  gate,  passed  in  behind  your 
house,  and  after  a  few  moments  slipped  out  to 
the  gate  and  went  away  again,  as  if  he  had 
finished  whatever  he  came  to  do.  The  robbery 
of  the  trap  was  but  an  incident.  He  saw  the 
telltale  moving  and  appropriated  the  fish  as 
he  went  along." 

The  two  men  stood  looking  first  at  him  and 
then  at  each  other  in  confused  bewilderment. 
In  Thoma  Pavelovitch's  eyes  there  stirred  a 
resentful  note  of  challenge.  But  Luka  Stru- 
kof 's  face  grew  white  and  he  moistened  his  lips 
incessantly  as  he  turned  to  the  commandant  to 
speak. 

"I  know  nothing  of  it  whatever,"  he  said 
huskily.  "The  man  may  have  brought  some 
word  to  Sara  Lukievna,  but  he  did  not  come  to 
see  my  wife." 

"There  was  no  word  for  Sara  Lukievna," 
broke  in  Thoma  Pavelovitch  promptly.  Then 
as  the  needlessness  of  his  defense  came  over 
him  he  stopped.  "Do  not  worry,"  he  said 


258  HIS  WIFE 

apologetically  to  his  companion.  ''My  father 
is  not  sure  that  the  man  saw  either  one. ' '  Luka 
Strukof's  eyes  went  to  his  mechanically  and 
he  automatically  nodded  an  assent;  but  his 
mind  remained  busy  with  the  unwelcome  news, 
and  after  a  moment  he  turned  to  Pavel  Pavelo- 
vitch  with  distinct  reproach. 

"Why  did  you  not  tell  us  sooner?"  he  said. 
"If  we  could  have  taken  the  man,  there  could 
have  been  no  doubt  about  the  truth — all  would 
have  been  clear. ' ' 

"Because  I  was  not  sure,"  returned  the  com- 
mandant. "And  besides,  I  am  not  certain  that 
it  is  yet  too  late."  Both  men  straightened  in- 
stantly to  alertness,  but  Luka  Strukof  being 
quicker  was  the  one  who  spoke. 

"Not  too  late?"  he  said.  "He  is  still  then 
on  this  side?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  commandant.  "He  crossed 
below  the  bend  and  came  down  from  the  north, 
and  he  has  not  gone  back  that  way.  I  think 
you  will  find  him  in  the  shelter  on  the  shore 
just  opposite  the  trap.  My  idea  is  that  he 
found  the  fish  heavy  when  he  got  it  and  decided 
to  wait  there  till  it  was  darker  and  he  could 
make  a  safe  cut  of  it  straight  across."  Luka 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL    259 

Strukof 's  eyes  met  those  of  his  companion  with 
a  quick  look  of  understanding. 

"We  will  report  as  soon  as  we  come  in,"  he 
said  gravely;  and,  without  further  word, 
turned  with  Thoma  Kolomin  and  went  out  hur- 
riedly through  the  door.  The  commandant  sat, 
listening  wistfully  to  the  sounds  of  their  prep- 
aration as  they  came  to  him  from  below.  The 
tingle  of  adventure  stirred  impatiently  in  his 
blood,  and  he  grinned  to  himself  as  the  unwel- 
come fact  came  home  to  him  that  his  was  the 
waiting  part. 

"What  a  nice  quiet  life  I  am  going  to  have 
with  this  leg  of  mine,"  he  said  ruefully.  "God, 
what  a  crime  it  is  for  a  man  to  let  himself  grow 
old!" 

Luka  Strukof  and  Thoma  Kolomin  did  not 
talk  much  as  they  set  out  on  their  way.  They 
understood  each  other  without  recourse  to 
words,  and  whatever  desire  of  speech  remained 
to  them  outside  of  the  mental  absorption  de- 
manded by  their  hasty  preparation,  was  swal- 
lowed in  preoccupation  concerning  the  affair  in 
hand.  It  rankled  with  each  one  that  the  com- 
mandant had  cast  the  slur  of  treachery  on  the 
woman  that  he  loved,  and  they  found  no  desire 


260  HIS  WIFE 

in  them  except  to  get  quickly  to  the  man  they 
sought  and  so  find  out  the  truth. 

They  went  silently,  side  by  side,  till  the  gate 
was  passed  and  the  trap  and  the  shelter  were 
in  sight.  Then  they  paused  and  stood  looking 
from  the  shore  to  the  river  and  back  again  to 
the  white  desolation  of  the  snow-covered  banks 
at  their  feet.  No  sign  of  life  was  visible  any- 
where in  the  landscape,  and  the  shelter,  lightly 
thatched  and  open  toward  the  trap,  seemed  too 
slender  a  dependence  to  be  chosen  by  a  fugitive 
as  a  refuge  for  his  life.  The  idea  came  to  each 
man  simultaneously,  and  Thoma  Kolomin's  jaw 
set  with  grim  disappointment  as  he  looked. 

' ( Damn  the  man ! "  he  said  under  his  breath, 
and  the  gleam  of  savage  sympathy  which  came 
to  him  from  Luka  Strukof 's  eyes  told  him  with- 
out words  that  his  companion  had  a  similar  re- 
gret. But  neither  had  thought  to  abandon  the 
adventure  because  of  its  waning  promise  of 
success;  and  after  a  moment  Thoma  Kolomin 
said: 

"Work  up  behind  there  on  the  higher  ground ; 
I  will  go  down  and  come  back  from  the  trap. ' ' 

Luka  Strukof  nodded  and  remained  where 
he  was,  as  his  companion  got  into  motion  and 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL    261 

began  on  the  little  descent  which  led  to  the  level 
of  the  ice.  Then  looking  to  the  priming  of  his 
gun,  he  turned  back  on  his  track,  and,  skirting 
along  the  south  wall  of  the  stockade,  came  to  a 
point  where  he  could  look  down  on  the  shelter 
from  the  rear.  There  was  an  abandoned  build- 
ing which  lay  between  him  and  it  and  at  the 
angle  of  this  he  came  within  thirty  feet  of  the 
shelter  itself,  and  looked  with  unobstructed 
view  on  his  companion  as  he  manoeuvred  on 
the  lower  ground. 

Thoma  Kolomin  had  gone  out  directly  to  the 
trap  and  paused  there  long  enough  to  pull  it 
up  by  the  cords  and  look  into  it,  as  if  his  sole 
object  was  to  see  if  there  was  anything  inside. 
Then,  as  if  satisfied  on  this  point,  he  straight- 
ened himself  and  turned  back  toward  the  shore, 
taking  the  little  path  which  led  to  the  shelter's 
open  front.  He  walked  leisurely  and  with  no 
air  of  having  special  quest,  but  Luka  Strukof 
could  see  how  alertly  he  held  his  gun  and  how 
carefully  he  challenged  every  point  of  tree  or 
rock  where  possible  concealment  might  be  had. 

He  reached  the  shelter  and  passed  in,  and 
Luka  Strukof  stepped  boldly  out  into  the  open, 
ready  to  move  forward  promptly  should  the 


262  HIS  WIFE 

event  show  a  need.  But  in  a  moment  Thoma 
Kolomin  came  out  again  alone  and,  seeing  Luka 
Antonovitch,  beckoned  to  him  to  come. 

"The  fish  is  there/'  he  said  moodily,  "but 
the  man  is  gone."  Luka  Strukof  gave  an  ex- 
clamation of  regret. 

' '  That  is  bad  luck, ' '  he  said  gravely.  '  *  But  it 
does  not  seem  possible  that  he  can  be  far 
away."  Thoma  Kolomin 's  eyes  had  been  wan- 
dering questioningly  from  one  point  to  another, 
but  now  they  came  suddenly  back  to  Luka 
Strukof 's  face. 

"You  have  been  through  the  building  yon- 
der?" he  asked  with  a  slight  nod  of  his  head. 

"No,  I  had  just  reached  it  when  you  came." 

1 '  Let  us  have  a  look  at  it,  then.  It  is  a  much, 
more  likely  place  than  this."  The  house  was  a 
low  one-story  structure  made  of  split  logs,  with 
no  windows  and  only  one  door,  and  had  form- 
erly been  used  for  storing  boats.  Thoma  Kolo- 
min moved  away  toward  it  and  his  companion 
followed  with  the  evident  intention  of  accom- 
panying him  inside.  But  when  they  came  to  it, 
Thoma  Kolomin  stopped  him  with  a  touch  upon 
his  arm. 

"Wait  here,"  he  whispered.    "It  is  dark  in 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL    263 

there,  and  he  might  slip  by  me  before  I  came 
to  see."  Luka  Strukof  nodded  and  stood  still, 
and  as  Thoma  Kolomin  passed  stealthily  into 
the  house  through  the  half-open  door,  he 
loosened  his  pistol  in  its  sheath  and  stepped 
forward  so  as  to  cover  the  unguarded  opening, 
his  hand  still  held  on  the  butt  of  the  weapon 
at  his  side. 

For  a  full  moment  there  was  no  sound  what- 
ever from  within.  Then  there  was  a  cry,  a 
sudden  shot,  a  confused  scramble  of  hurrying 
feet,  and  a  man  burst  out  through  the  doorway 
and  plunged  wildly  into  his  arms.  So  sudden 
was  the  coming  of 'the  fugitive  that,  in  spite  of 
his  preparation,  the  encounter  took  Luka 
Strukof  unawares. 

His  grip  on  the  pistol  tightened  and  he  pulled 
it  mechanically  from  its  sheath.  But  before  he 
could  make  use  of  it,  his  assailant's  arms  were 
round  him  and  he  was  swept  from  his  feet  by 
the  man's  mad  effort  to  throw  him  to  one  side. 
He  closed  with  his  adversary  as  by  instinct, 
clinging  to  him  like  a  leech,  and,  after  an  in- 
stant's plunging  and  straining,  the  two  men 
went  heavily  down  together  on  the  snow. 

The  pistol  was  discharged  in  the  melee,  and 


264  HIS  WIFE 

the  fugitive,  fearing  it  no  longer,  let  go  the 
arm  which  held  it  and  struck  wildly  at  Luka 
Strukof's  face.  The  blow  blinded  him,  and, 
feeling  the  other's  hand  settle  grimly  on  his 
throat,  he  lifted  his  own  free  hand  and  with  the 
pistol  struck  his  assailant,  with  all  the  force 
that  he  could  muster,  on  the  head. 

At  the  first  blow,  the  man's  grip  tightened 
more  fiercely  on  his  neck,  but  at  the  second,  his 
jaws  clicked  and  he  went  suddenly  limp.  As 
the  tension  of  his  hold  relaxed,  Luka  Strukof 
threw  him  away  from  him  and  got  dizzily  to  his 
feet.  It  was  all  done  in  a  moment  and  he  was 
still  breathing  heavily  when  Thoma  Kolomin, 
in  turn,  burst  out  through  the  door  and  ran  to 
where  he  stood. 

"Good!"  he  cried,  as  he  saw  the  body 
stretched  upon  the  snow.  "You  got  him  then. 
It  was  dark  inside,  as  I  said,  and,  with  the  light 
behind  me,  he  threw  me  down  and  was  by  me 
before  I  even  saw  that  he  was  there."  Luka 
Strukof's  breath  was  still  too  hurried  for  con- 
nected speech.  His  companion  did  not  wait  for 
a  reply  but,  dropping  on  his  knees  beside  the 
fugitive,  he  straightened  the  man's  legs  and 
arms  and  began  to  look  for  evidences  of  life. 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL    265 

"You  have  a  hard  hand,"  he  said.  "It  is  a 
wonder  he  is  still  alive.  I  am  glad,  though,  you 
have  not  killed  him,  for  I  am  curious  to  know 
what  he  was  doing  at  the  house  there  at  the 
gate."  Luka  Strukof  steadied  his  voice  by  an 
effort  and  added  his  advice. 

"Search  him,"  he  gasped.  "It  may  be  there 
will  be  something  that  will  tell."  Thoma  Kolo- 
min  moved  promptly  on  the  suggestion,  and  be- 
gan a  systematic  fumbling  among  the  fugitive's 
clothes.  He  turned  out  the  prisoner's  pockets 
as  he  came  to  them  and  collected  the  contents 
in  a  heap. 

Those  in  the  man's  nether  garments  yielded 
nothing  but  a  knife,  two  battered  keys,  and 
some  pieces  of  moosehide  thongs.  But  the 
great  one  in  his  parka  yielded  a  miscellaneous 
store  which  brought  the  pile  up  to  an  appre- 
ciable size.  There  was  a  leathern  pouch  for 
tobacco,  a  stone  pipe,  an  extra  muffler  almost 
stiff  with  dirt,  a  tinder  box  and  fuse,  a  small 
book  for  accounts,  a  pencil,  a  greasy  pack  of 
cards,  a  handful  of  copper  coins,  and  a  small 
package  like  an  amulet  tied  with  a  colored 
thread. 

There  was  no  letter  or  other  incriminating 


266  HIS  WIFE 

word  and  Luka  Strukof  reached  for  the  book, 
and  began  to  run  it  through.  It  had  penciled 
memoranda  on  almost  every  page,  but  they 
were  mostly  figures  or  the  lines  of  marks  which 
stand  for  scores  at  cards.  Occasionally  a  day 
or  date  was  written  out,  but  there  was  no  desig- 
nation of  persons  except  by  initials  and  abso- 
lutely no  suggestion  by  which  the  man  might  be 
connected  with  the  house  at  the  gate  or  any 
person  of  the  Kussilof  post. 

When  the  last  page  was  reached,  Luka 
Strukof  closed  the  book  disappointedly  and 
threw  it  back  into  the  heap.  Then,  raking  the 
things  over  for  further  clues,  he  took  up  the 
cloth-bound  package  and  slipped  off  the  colored 
thread.  Thoma  Kolomin  took  no  direct  part  in 
the  examination,  but  stood  watching  curiously 
as  the  package  was  unrolled. 

It  had  been  carefully  bound  and  under  the 
first  wrap  was  tied  with  a  second  string.  Luka 
Strukof  undid  this  patiently  and  continued 
stolidly  till  he  came  to  the  last  fold.  But  as  he 
drew  this  back  and  saw  what  the  object  was 
which  lay  within,  his  hand  closed  over  it  with 
a  startled  cry,  and  hiding  it  behind  him  he 
turned  on  his  companion  with  something  that 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL    267 

was  almost  challenge  in  his  eyes.  Thoma  Kolo- 
min  watched  him  with  a  slow  astonishment. 

"What  is  it?"  he  said,  and  reaching  out  took 
hold  of  the  other's  hand.  Luka  Strukof  made 
no  strong  resistance  to  the  action,  but  stood  as 
if  dazed,  so  that  though  he  spoke,  the  words  had 
no  connection  with  the  question  he  was  asked. 

"What  a  fool  I  have  been!"  he  said  bitterly. 
"It  has  been  true,  then,  all  the  time."  Thoma 
Kolomin  gently  forced  the  hand  that  he  had 
taken,  and  took  from  it  the  object  which  Luka 
Strukof  had  found. 

It  was  a  locket  made  of  gold  with  a  narrow 
band  of  turquoise  inlaid  on  the  face,  and  in- 
stead of  an  attaching  ring  was  thickened  at  one 
point  so  that  a  chain-hole  could  be  drilled  out 
through  the  rim.  Thoma  Kolomin  looked  at 
the  jewel  curiously  and  from  it  back  again  to 
his  friend. 

"What  is  it!"  he  said  again.  Luka  Strukof 
heard  him  through  his  preoccupation,  and 
turned  to  him  with  despairing  eyes. 

"It  is  Lisa's,"  he  said  tremulously.  "I  gave 
it  to  her  myself.  Look,  you  will  find  my 
mother's  name  there  on  the  other  side."  Thoma 
Kolomin  turned  the  locket  over  mechanically, 


268  HIS  WIFE 

and  his  companion,  stirred  suddenly  by  the  mad 
impulse  of  his  wrong,  went  down  on  his  knees 
beside  the  unconscious  prisoner,  and,  seizing 
him  by  the  throat,  began  shaking  him  as  if  he 
had  been  a  rat. 

"You  dog!"  he  cried.  "You  may  have  en- 
joyed the  favor,  but  you  will  have  to  pay  the 
price!"  Thoma  Kolomin  caught  him  by  the 
shoulders  and  threw  him  sharply  back. 

"Softly,  man,"  he  said.  "Do  not  kill  him, 
till  you  are  sure  he  is  the  one.  Perhaps  he 
came  by  the  locket  in  a  decent  way. ' y  As  usual 
with  Luka  Strukof  when  heavily  distraught,  his 
face  had  set  till  it  was  like  a  mask,  but  his  eyes 
glowed  with  a  fire  that  showed  all  the  passion- 
ate madness  that  was  consuming  him  within. 
He  mastered  himself,  however,  after  a  moment, 
and  got  slowly  to  his  feet. 

'  *  You  are  right, ' '  he  said  huskily.  ' l  The  man 
is  entitled  to  his  word."  He  turned  his  back 
to  the  prisoner  and  stood  with  his  hands 
pressed  together  in  evident  struggle  toward 
self-control.  Then  with  a  lightning  change  of 
impulse,  he  whirled  about  and  before  Thoma 
Kolomin  could  come  to  him,  was  down  again 
beside  the  unconscious  figure  on  the  snow.  The 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL    269 

hands  of  the  commandant's  son  went  out,  and 
he  made  a  quick  motion  forward  with  thought 
to  interfere.  But  hefore  he  reached  the  two 
men,  he  saw  that  this  time  Luka  Strukof  meant 
no  harm,  hut  was  chafing  the  prisoner's  hands 
and  shaking  him  with  the  evident  desire  to 
bring  him  back  to  life.  He  brought  to  his  min- 
istrations a  pathetic  haste  and,  as  Thoma  Kolo- 
min  bent  over  him,  he  looked  up  with  an  almost 
fierce  appeal. 

"The  truth!"  he  cried  thickly.  "Help  me 
to  get  the  truth ! ' '  Thoma  Kolomin  went  down 
on  the  other  side  and  began  to  render  deliberate 
aid.  The  rough  succor  served  of  its  purpose, 
for  after  a  little  the  man's  color  came  back,  and 
he  began  to  twitch  and  stir  uneasily  his  hands 
and  legs. 

Then  his  eyes  opened,  and  as  his  wits  gath- 
ered so  that  he  realized  where  he  was,  he  sud- 
denly surged  upward  in  a  mad  effort  to  escape 
and  struck  out  furiously  with  his  arms.  Both 
his  captors  were  upon  him  in  a  moment  and, 
though  he  thrashed  about  wildly,  like  a  fish  in 
a  boat,  they  forced  him  back  relentlessly  against 
the  snow,  and  held  him  helpless  in  his  place. 
Thoma  Kolomin  was  the  first  to  speak. 


270  HIS  WIFE 

"Be  quiet,"  he  said  breathlessly.  "You  can 
not  get  away."  The  roan's  eyes  fixed  them- 
selves on  him  with  a  defiant  stare. 

"Why  do  you  hold  me?"  he  demanded  sul- 
lenly. "I  have  done  nothing  wrong." 

"Perhaps  not,"  returned  the  commandant's 
son.  "But  you  will  have  to  give  a  reason  why 
we  find  you  spying  and  hiding  on  this  side. ' ' 

"I  was  not  spying,"  broke  in  the  man  resent- 
fully. "I  came  to  bring  a  message  for  a 
friend."  Thoma  Kolomin's  face  darkened  and 
his  brows  drew  down  into  a  frown. 

"Then  it  was  still  treason  for  some  one,"  he 
s>aid  coldly.  "There  is  an  order  out  that  no 
person  here  shall  receive  a  message  from  your 
post."  The  man  shrugged  his  shoulders  and 
his  mouth  twitched  with  a  grim  humor  of  con- 
tempt. 

"It  is  a  common  treason  then,"  he  said 
coolly.  "The  message  was  an  entirely  private 
one  to  a  woman  of  the  post."  The  eyes  of  his 
captors  met  in  a  significant  flash  of  under- 
standing, and  Luka  Strukof  swore  softly  to 
himself. 

"Who  was  the  woman?"  he  demanded  with 
such  calmness  as  he  could  command,  though  his 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL    271 

voice  trembled  so  that  he  could  scarcely  keep  it 
in  control.  The  fugitive's  mouth  hardened 
into  a  firmer  line. 

* '  You  have  no  right  to  ask, ' '  he  said  sullenly. 
Then  his  eyebrows  lifted  in  a  sudden  compre- 
hension and  he  let  his  eyes  rest  with  interest 
on  his  questioner's  impassioned  face. 

"  So  it  is  your  woman,  then, ' '  he  said  thought- 
fully. "By  the  Theotokos,  you  are  out  of 
luck!"  The  man's  sympathy  was  harder  to 
bear  even  than  his  silence,  and  before  he  had 
finished  speaking,  Luka  Strukof  had  him  by  the 
throat. 

* '  When  was  it  ? "  he  cried  with  a  snarl  like  an 
angry  dog.  The  prisoner  took  the  attack  philo- 
sophically, making  no  resistance  except  to  fight 
away  the  other's  hands. 

"Hold  on,"  he  said  coolly,  "there  are  better 
ways  of  getting  information  from  a  man  than 
by  shutting  off  his  voice.  What  is  it  worth  to 
you  to  know?  If  I  tell  you,  will  you  let  me  go?" 
Luka  Strukof  began  on  a  ready  acquiescence, 
but  Thoma  Kolomin  intervened. 

"We  can  make  no  promises,"  he  said  warn- 
ingly.  ' '  Tell  what  you  know  and  if  there  is  no 
treason  in  it  you  need  not  be  afraid. ' '  The  man 


272  HIS  WIFE 

lifted  his  hands  palms  upward,  with  an  acquies- 
cent shrug. 

' 'Oh,  well!"  he  said.  "Let  us  talk  then  of 
something  else.  I  am  well  satisfied  to  have  no 
hand  in  coming  between  a  woman  and  her 
man."  Luka  Strukof  listened  with  an  appar- 
ently impassive  face,  but  at  the  end  he  turned 
to  Thoma  Kolomin  with  an  agony  of  entreaty 
in  his  eyes. 

"Why  not  give  the  promise?"  he  said 
brokenly.  "It  is  plain  the  matter  belongs  to  us 
rather  than  to  the  post."  Thoma  Kolomin 's 
face  lit  sympathetically  and  he  lifted  his  shoul- 
ders as  he  spoke. 

"Will  you  answer  for  it  to  my  father,  if 
there  turns  out  there  was  need  he  should  be 
held?"  Luka  Strukof 's  answer  fairly  leaped 
from  his  tongue. 

"To  the  last  reproach!"  he  cried  and  whirl- 
ing round  upon  the  prisoner,  he  thrust  out  his 
hand. 

"Go  on!"  he  commanded.  "You  have  my 
solemn  word."  The  man's  eyes  lit  with  a 
gleam  of  triumph,  but  he  gave  no  further  sign 
of  satisfaction  beyond  a  phlegmatic  nod. 

"My  hand  on  it,"  he  said.    "What  is  it  you 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL    273 

want  to  know?"  Luka  Strukof  drew  out  the 
locket  and  held  it  before  him  on  extended  palm. 

"How  did  she  come  to  give  you  this?"  he 
said  harshly.  The  man  hesitated  for  a  moment, 
looking  from  the  locket  to  Luka  Strukof  in 
crafty  speculation.  Then  he  laughed. 

"Nu,"  he  said,  "I  will  deal  fairly  with  you. 
I  had  it  from  no  woman.  It  came  to  me  as  a 
stake  at  cards."  Luka  Strukof  received  the 
statement  in  a  confused  silence  and  did  not 
speak  again  till  he  had  rearranged  his  convic- 
tion to  fit  the  facts. 

"The  man  from  whom  you  had  it,"  he  said 
finally;  "was  he  the  one  who  sent  you  here  to- 
day?" The  fugitive  seemed  to  find  the  question 
to  his  liking,  for  he  threw  back  his  head  and 
laughed  again. 

"Nu,  but  you  are  a  shrewd  guesser !"  he  cried 
quizzically.  "It  was  the  very  same." 

"And  you  came  to  tell  her  to  meet  with  him 
to-day?" 

"I  did  not  say  so  before,  but  it  is  true."  For 
a  long  moment  Luka  Strukof  waited  dizzily 
with  closed  eyes.  Then  without  looking  at  the 
man  at  his  feet  he  spoke  again. 

"Is  it  too  late?"  he  breathed.    "Have  they 


274  HIS  WIFE 

already  met?"  Again  the  man's  eyes  sought 
his  face  in  stealthy  calculation,  and  it  was  plain 
that  his  candor  was  struggling  with  his  desire 
to  shield  his  friend.  Thoma  Kolomin  saw  it, 
and  put  his  hand  down  on  his  arm. 

"Tell  us  the  truth,  man/'  he  said  sternly. 
"We  are  dealing  honestly  with  you."  The  man 
nodded  and  looked  up  at  him  with  a  propitia- 
tory twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"That  is  right,"  he  admitted  promptly. 
"Though  I  am  not  sure  the  truth  will  be  the 
best."  Then  turning  to  Luka  Strukof  he  went 
on,  as  frankly  as  if  there  had  been  no  hesita- 
tion in  his  mind. 

"I  do  not  know  about  the  hour,"  he  said.  "It 
would  be  somewhere  between  the  time  I  left  the 
word  and  dusk."  Luka  Strukof's  glance  went 
hastily  upward  toward  the  sun. 

"There  may  be  time,"  he  said  huskily. 
"Where  was  it  they  were  to  meet?"  The  pris- 
oner's face  was  again  a  mirror  of  his  concern, 
and  he  scrambled  slowly  to  his  feet. 

"Do  not  ask  me  that,"  he  urged  pleadingly. 
"What  would  you  gain  by  seeing  it  with  your 
eyes?"  In  answer,  Luka  Strukof  turned  on 
him  with  so  fierce  a  gesture  that  involuntarily 


he  gave  back.  Thoma  Koloinin  stepped 
promptly  in  between. 

"Speak  if  you  know,"  he  said.  "It  was  so 
promised  in  the  bond."  The  man  yielded  to 
the  double  coercion  and  set  aside  his  scruples 
with  a  shrug. 

"Let  us  get  through  with  it  then,"  he  said 
impatiently.  "If  you  are  not  too  late,  you  will 
find  them  beyond  the  storehouse  at  the  lower 
beach."  It  was  the  last  question  that  was 
asked. 

Luka  Strukof,  the  bitter  information  gained, 
made  no  further  claim  upon  his  speech.  He 
stood  looking  fiercely  down  the  river,  his  lips 
moving  inarticulately,  and  then,  yielding  to  the 
mad  purpose  growing  in  his  mind,  began  almost 
stealthily  to  move  away  from  his  companions 
back  along  the  ridge.  As  he  walked  he  swayed 
unsteadily  like  a  drunken  man,  and  did  not  once 
look  back.  Thoma  Kolomin  called  to  him  to 
wait. 

"Come  back,"  he  cried.  "We  are  not  fin- 
ished here ! ' '  But  Luka  Strukof  paid  no  heed, 
and  the  commandant's  son  turned  to  the  pris- 
oner with  a  significant  lifting  of  his  gun. 

"Do  you  know  how  to  run?"  he  inquired 


276  HIS  WIFE 

abruptly.  The  man  bowed  with  mock  serious- 
ness as  he  understood. 

"If  there  is  a  need,"  he  said  sarcastically. 

' '  The  need  is  here, ' '  replied  the  other  grimly, 
"and  I  will  not  promise  you  how  long  I  shall 
wait."  He  turned  toward  the  river  and  mo- 
tioned peremptorily  with  his  hand.  "There  is 
clear  ice  between  here  and  the  other  shore,"  he 
added.  "Keep  your  eyes  ahead  of  you  and  I 
will  give  you  five  minutes  to  get  out  of  range." 

"God!  you  are  generous!"  cried  the  other 
jeeringly.  "You  forget  that  I  am  guaranteed 
free  passage  under  our  bond!"  He  did  not 
wait  to  argue  the  matter,  however,  but  bending, 
gathered  up  the  small  pile  of  his  possessions 
and  stowed  them  hurriedly  in  his  blouse.  Then 
with  a  smile  and  a  defiant  wave  of  his  hand  he 
ran  lightly  down  the  slope  and  out  on  the  ice 
beyond. 

His  caution  kept  his  glance  to  the  front  till  he 
was  well  out  toward  the  middle  of  the  stream. 
Then  he  stopped  suddenly  and  whirling,  sent 
back  toward  his  late  captor,  a  long  derisive 
shout.  He  might  as  well  have  saved  himself 
the  trouble  which  he  took,  for  the  place  he  had 
left  was  empty  of  all  figures,  and  following 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL     277 

along  the  line  of  the  bank  he  saw  Thoma  Kolo- 
min  moving  swiftly  down  the  river,  intent  on 
nothing  except  to  overtake  his  comrade  who  had 
gone  before.  The  two  came  together  at  the 
open  gate  of  the  stockade.  Thoma  Kolomin's 
own  glance  went  through  it  to  the  house  at  the 
gate,  but  Luka  Strukof  moved  on  by  it  without 
a  motion  to  go  in.  He  spoke  no  word  as  Thoma 
Kolomin  joined  him,  but  did  not  dispute  his 
right  to  come,  and  the  two  men  went  on  together 
side  by  side. 

The  late  afternoon  breeze  had  begun  to  blow 
up  from  the  sea,  and  there  rode  in  with  it  a  thin 
vapory  mist,  which  blotted  the  sunshine  from 
the  landscape,  and  restored  to  the  vacillating 
season  its  accustomed  chill.  The  sting  of  it 
against  his  face  so  matched  the  wintry  desola- 
tion at  his  heart,  that  Luka  Strukof  shivered 
under  it,  as  if  his  grief  had  physically  set  upon 
him  in  the  life. 

But  his  passion  only  rose  up  in  him  in  fiercer 
protest  against  fate,  and  he  quickened  his  pace 
until  it  became  almost  a  run.  There  was  noth- 
ing for  him  in  the  world  just  then  but  the  mak- 
ing sure  concerning  his  betrayal  by  his  wife, 
and  the  mad  tumult  of  his  doubts  so  rang  in  his 


278  HIS  WIFE 

ears  that  the  sounds  around  him,  the  snapping 
of  trodden  twigs,  the  hard  breathing  of  his  com- 
rade, the  crunch  of  the  snow  beneath  their  feet, 
passed  him  by  unnoticed  except  in  so  far  as 
they  fitted  in  and  became  a  natural  part  of  the 
wild  whirl  in  which  he  moved. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  trees  came  closer, 
the  snow  firmer  under  their  feet  and  the  path 
began  to  climb  up  the  steeper  face  of  the  ridge 
which  lay  between  the  two  men  and  their  un- 
pleasant goal.  The  increased  effort  forced  a 
slower  pace,  and  as  they  came  near  the  top 
they  found  themselves  bending  uncertainly  be- 
fore the  rush  of  the  wind  which  at  the  higher 
elevation  had  grown  into  a  keen,  penetrating 
blast. 

They  reached  the  summit  and  stood  looking 
down.  But  Luka  Strukof,  after  a  swift  glance 
.at  the  line  of  empty  shore  and  the  storehouse 
at  their  feet,  pressed  forward  again  impa- 
tiently, and  began  on  the  precipitous  descent. 
They  were  scarcely  under  way,  however,  when 
Thoma  Kolomin,  with  an  exclamation,  reached 
forward  and  caught  his  companion  by  the  arm. 

"Look,"  he  cried,  and  pointed  with  his  hand. 
Jt  was  almost  dusk,  and  the  tremulous  mist 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL    279 

rendered  uncertain  the  detail  of  everything  ex- 
cept the  narrow  circle  immediately  at  their  feet. 
But  at  the  lowest  dip  of  the  hollow,  where  the 
shore-line  of  the  river  began  to  swing  in  shal- 
low curve  out  toward  the  next  long  finger  of 
the  coast,  there  had  detached  itself  from  the 
land  a  small  black  spot  which  showed  sharply 
as  it  began  to  move  out  on  the  white  surface  of 
the  ice.  It  was  the  figure  of  a  man  running, 
and  they  watched  it  in  silence  till  there  was  no 
longer  room  for  doubt.  Then  Thoma  Kolomin 
turned  with  a  shrug  and  let  the  butt  of  his  gun 
down  beside  him  on  the  snow. 

"We  are  too  late,"  he  said.  "He  is  already 
half-way  out  there  on  the  ice."  Luka  Strukof 
did  not  answer,  but  stood  stiffly  in  his  place, 
and  as  the  failure  of  his  plan  came  clearly  home 
to  him  he  caught  in  his  breath  in  a  convulsive 
sob. 

Thoma  Kolomin  watched  him  with  a  great 
pity  in  his  heart.  The  confession  of  the  pris- 
oner, which  shifted  the  burden  of  suspicion 
from  the  shoulders  of  Sara  Lukievna  to  those 
of  Luka  Strukof 's  wife,  had  dismissed  him  defi- 
nitely from  the  rank  of  actor  in  the  tragedy, 
and  left  him  simply  a  spectator  in  the  unrolling 


280  HIS  WIFE 

of  the  plot.  He  turned  impulsively  and  threw 
his  arm  around  the  other's  shoulders. 

"What  is  the  use?"  he  said.  "Let  us  go 
back  and  finish  our  report."  Luka  Strukof 
threw  off  the  arm  almost  fiercely,  and  stayed 
stubbornly  in  his  place. 

"No!"  he  said  huskily.  "Not  till  she  comes 
back."  Thoma  Kolomin  knew  as  well  as  he 
did  that  they  stood  in  the  only  road  by  which 
the  guilty  woman  could  regain  the  post,  and 
realized  that  it  was  his  companion's  thought  to 
wait  and  intercept  her  as  she  came.  His  first 
thought  was  that  the  meeting  must  be  prevented 
at  any  cost.  But  a  glance  at  the  determination 
in  Luka  Strukof 's  face  and  the  mad  intensity 
of  passion  which  looked  out  from  his  eyes  took 
hold  of  him  so  that  he  wisely  changed  his  mind, 
and  determined  to  drift  passively  with  the 
other's  mood. 

"Very  well,"  he  said  weakly,  "though  I  be- 
lieve it  would  be  better  if  we  should  go."  Luka 
Strukof  did  not  answer,  and  they  stood  in  sil- 
ence, looking  down  the  narrow  way.  The  sun 
was  already  set,  and  the  cold,  reflected  twilight 
afforded  them  no  clear  vision  farther  than  the 
bottom  of  the  slope.  Even  there,  the  crows 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL     281 

feeding  belatedly  on  the  refuse  of  the  beach 
seemed  more  like  bats  than  birds  as  they  flew  to 
and  fro. 

There  was  a  restless  stir  of  wind  in  the  trees 
and  a  whispering  of  leaves  which  made  listen- 
ing a  mockery,  and  set  their  hearts  jumping 
with  a  hundred  false  alarms.  Both  knew  the 
waiting  could  not  be  for  long,  but  it  was  Luka 
Strukof's  keener  watchfulness  that  announced 
the  signal  which  brought  it  to  a  close. 

He  made  a  sudden  step  forward  and  gave  an 
involuntary  cry.  Thoma  Kolomm-  following  the 
direction  of  his  glance,  saw  that  .he  crows  had 
risen  from  the  beach,  and  were  noisily  circling 
backward  and  forward  above  it  in  the  air.  In- 
stinctively he  reached  out  and  set  on  Luka  Stru- 
kof  a  detaining  hand.  The  latter  was  shaking 
like  a  leaf,  and  so  intent  on  the  vision  which  was 
about  to  disclose  itself  below,  that  he  had  for- 
gotten his  companion  and  was  wholly  uncon- 
scious of  the  restraint. 

For  a  breathless  moment  both  men  stood 
thus,  straining  their  eyes  and  ears  to  catch  the 
first  sign  of  the  coming  .of  the  recreant  wife. 
Thenr  like  a  darker  shadow,  first  between  the 
trees  and  a  little  later  as  a  distinct  figure,  as 


282  HIS  WIFE 

she  flitted  across  the  wider  open  spaces,  they 
saw  that  it  was  indeed  a  woman,  as  they  had 
thought,  and  that  she  was  coming  swiftly  up  the 
hill. 

Luka  Strukof's  face  had  become  livid,  and 
he  whispered  softly  to  himself.  Thoma  Kolo- 
min  forced  him  hack  behind  a  low-growing  fir, 
BO  that  the  new-comer  should  not  see  them  till 
she  was  immediately  upon  them  in  the  way. 
Luka  Strukof  made  no  sign  of  opposition  or 
even  of  understanding,  but  kept  his  eyes 
focused  steadily  on  the  rising  path,  except  that 
for  an  instant,  when  he  was  in  the  new  place,  he 
bent  them  long  enough  to  make  sure  of  the 
pruning  in  his  gun. 

Presently  they  could  hear  the  rustle  of  the 
woman's  skirts  and  the  swish  of  the  returning 
branches  which  she  pushed  aside.  Then  with  a 
suddenness  which  startled  them  even  in  their 
expectation,  she  was  upon  them,  and  stood  be- 
fore them  in  the  way. 

Her  hood  had  slipped  back  from  her  head, 
and  she  was  panting  with  the  exertion  of  the 
unaccustomed  climb.  It  was  not  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna,  but  Sara  Lukievna,  and  coming  on  them 
unexpectedly  she  stopped  abruptly  with  a  sharp 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  HILL    283 

note  of  fear.  She  recognized  them  almost  at 
once,  and  made  an  impulsive  motion  toward 
them  with  her  hands.  But  both  men  stood  as  if 
frozen  in  their  tracks,  and  it  took  but  one 
glimpse  of  the  agonized  confusion  of  her  fath- 
er's face  and  the  shameful  accusation  that 
looked  out  of  Thoma  Kolomin's  eyes,  to  give 
her  an  understanding  of  what  their  thought  in 
spying  on  her  had  been  and  why  they  were 
there  thus  strangely  in  the  way. 

For  a  tense  moment,  she  stood  and  looked  at 
them,  her  lips  parted  and  a  wild  flood  of  color 
surging  upward  in  her  face.  Then,  lifting  her 
-head  to  its  full  height,  she  swept  by  them 
proudly,  without  another  look,  and  disappeared 
across  the  crest  of  the  ridge  above  them,  along 
the  path  that  led  back  to  the  town. 


THE   QUESTIONING   OF   LISA! 

The  climax  was  so  different  from  the  one 
which  they  had  nerved  themselves  to  meet,  that 
both  men  stood  stupidly  following  the  depart- 
ing woman  with  their  eyes  till  she  was  fully 
out  of  sight.  Then  they  turned  to  each  other 
with  an  almost  equal  sickness  at  the  heart.  The 
younger  man  had  convinced  himself  so  thor- 
oughly that  it  was  not  Sara  Lukievna,  but  the 
older  woman,  who  had  been  at  fault,  that  the 
truth  came  to  him  with  an  overwhelming  sense 
of  shock.  Luka  Strukof  found  in  the  develop- 
ment only  a  new  and  further  pang.  For  while 
the  disclosure  set  his  daughter  also  in  the 
wrong,  it  afforded  no  explanation  which  would 
lift  from  Lisa  Fedorovna  the  appalling  burden 
of  her  guilt. 

"You  were  right,"  he  said  tremulously. 
"We  shall  find  nothing  here.  Let  us  go  back 
now  to  the  post."  But  Thoma  Kolomin's  eyes 

284 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA     285 

remained  fixed  on  him  in  mute  refusal  and  lie 
sorrowfully  shook  his  head. 

"I  can  not  do  it — yet,"  he  said.  "You  go 
and  put  the  report  in  for  us  both."  Luka 
Strukof  stood  scraping  the  snow  mechanically 
with  his  foot,  and  looking  up  shiftily  from  time 
to  time  to  his  companion's  moody  face.  He 
appeared  to  be  weighing  the  whole  matter ;  then 
he  straightened  himself  with  sudden  resolution, 
and  put  out  his  hand. 

* '  Take  heart, ' '  he  said.  ' l  For  you  it  may  not 
turn  out  so  badly  in  the  end."  Thoma  Kolomin 
responded  awkwardly  to  the  advance  and  for 
a  moment  the  two  men  stood  gazing  wistfully 
into  each  other's  eyes.  Then,  with  a  formality 
which  was  a  measure  of  their  preoccupation, 
they  clasped  hands  gravely,  bowed  distantly  to 
each  other  and  parted,  the  one  remaining,  the 
other  setting  out  alone  on  his  journey  toward 
the  post. 

The  end  of  the  report  found  the  commandant 
with  a  face  that  was  very  grave.  Luka  Strukof 
!  had  spared  no  detail,  either  of  the  capture  or  of 
the  pursuit,  and,  with  the  whole  pitiful  tale  be- 
fore him,  Pavel  Kolomin  found  himself  not  so 
much  convinced  of  the  guilt  of  the  parties 


286  HIS  WIFE 

concerned,  as  stirred  by  a  vague  irritation  that 
the  thing  should  have  come  to  him  at  all. 

"When  I  told  you  yesterday  that  the  man  I 
saw  came  from  the  house  at  the  gate,"  he  said 
impatiently,  "I  did  it  to  stir  your  interest,  and 
not  because  I  thought  the  women  had  been  do- 
ing something  wrong.  It  looks  bad  for  your 
wife,  I  admit,  but  Sara  Lukievna — confound  the 
girl !  She  ought  to  be  taken  out  and  whipped !" 
He  considered  again,  f rowningly  and  in  silence. 
Then  he  said:  "Well,  I  suppose  I  have  got  to 
go  into  the  matter,  if  only  to  get  that  fool  boy 
of  mine  to  come  back  and  go  to  work.  You 
were  wrong  in  letting  the  man  go,  when  you 
had  him  in  your  hands.  It  would  have  helped 
to  know  who  sent  him  from  the  other  side.  Do 
not  go  home  to-night.  Stay  here  to  sleep  and 
leave  me  to  talk  with  Sara  before  you  see  your 
wife." 

Luka  Strukof  submitted  without  opposition, 
though  he  knew  the  commandant  well  enough 
to  be  conscious  that  the  suggestion  was  not  so 
much  a  request  as  a  command.  Pavel  Kolo- 
min's  affection  for  the  man  before  him  made 
him  gentle  in  the  way  in  which  he  imposed  his 
will,  but  he  was  always  the  ruler  as  well  as  the 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA     287 

man,  and  it  was  plain,  in  whatever  guise  his 
demand  was  made,  he  expected  it  unquestion- 
ingly  to  be  obeyed. 

In  this  case,  he  had  no  mind  to  risk  through 
inattention  a  failure  for  his  plans,  and  he  him- 
self hobbled  out  with  his  compulsory  guest,  and 
saw  him  established  in  a  proper  room.  The 
latter,  tired  and  homesick,  hardly  felt  beneath 
the  kindness  shown  him  the  touch  of  the  iron 
hand,  and  found  in  himself  scarcely  a  shock 
of  interest  even  that,  when  Pavel  Kolomin  went 
out  and  left  him,  he  closed  and  locked  the  door. 

As  for  the  commandant,  when  he  had  re- 
gained his  room,  he  lost  no  time  in  sending  for 
Sara  Lukievna  to  the  house  at  the  gate.  She 
responded  promptly  to  the  summons,  and  it 
was  evident  at  the  first  glance  that  she  had 
found  no  surprise  in  being  sent  for,  and  had 
welcomed  the  opportunity  to  come. 

Outside,  the  mist  had  thickened  almost  to  a 
rain,  and  her  hair,  and  the  long  cloak  she  had 
drawn  around  her  for  protection,  were  beaded 
thickly  with  drops  of  moisture,  which  twinkled 
in  the  light  as  she  came  in.  Her  face  was 
flushed  and  her  eyes  red  with  crying  and, 
though  the  commandant  held  out  his  hand  to 


288  HIS  WIFE 

her,  she  ignored  it,  and  made  no  motion  to 
come  to  him  for  the  usual  kiss  of  greeting.  In- 
stead, she  stopped  just  inside  the  door,  and 
stood  looking  at  him  with  such  a  blaze  of  indig- 
nation in  her  eyes  that  Pavel  Kolomin  wisely 
refrained  from  questioning  her  and  waited  for 
her  to  speak. 

"Well,  I  am  here!"  she  said  finally.  "What 
is  it  that  you  want  ? ' '  The  commandant  looked 
at  her  with  reproachful  deprecation,  but  she  re- 
mained so  plainly  unappeased  that  his  glance 
went  down  to  the  floor. 

4  *  There  is  nothing  in  the  matter  that  should 
call  for  anger,"  he  said  mildly.  "Your  father 
has  come  in,  and  I  thought  perhaps  you  might 
add  to  his  report  and  tell  me  certain  things  I 
want  to  know." 

"What  has  he  said?"  she  burst  out  fiercely. 
"What  has  he  dared  to  say?"  Her  indigna- 
tion choked  her  and  she  stood  rubbing  the 
palms  of  her  hands  with  her  fingers,  the  tears 
rising  in  her  eyes.  Then  with  a  dry  intake  of 
the  breath  she  added:  "He  ought  to  be 
ashamed  to  think  such  things  of  his  own  flesh 
and  blood ! ' '  The  commandant  did  not  answer 
directly,  but  before  she  had  finished,  beckoned 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA      289 

her   with   an   impatient  motion   of   the   hand. 

"Come  here!"  he  said  sharply.  "Whatever 
has  happened,  there  is  no  reason  for  your  hold- 
ing it  against  me."  The  girl's  wrath  broke 
with  her  tears,  and  after  an  instant's  hesita- 
tion she  went  to  him  with  a  rush,  and,  pushing 
herself  into  her  customary  place  beside  him  on 
his  chair,  threw  her  arms  around  him  and  hid 
her  face  against  his  neck.  The  old  man  stif- 
fened and  stretched  his  head  up  vainly,  in  the 
effort  to  avoid  being  wet  by  the  rain-drops  in 
her  hair. 

'  *  Easy,  my  child,  easy ! "  he  cried.  ' '  Kemem- 
ber  that  I  am  made  all  in  one  piece,  and  though 
my  rheumatism  is  out  there  at  the  other  end,  it 
hurts  me  just  the  same  when  I  am  jolted  any- 
where along  the  line."  In  spite  of  herself  the 
girl  laughed  almost  hysterically,  and  lifted  her 
weight  so  that  he  could  adjust  himself  to  the 
embrace. 

"What  did  they  say?"  she  demanded  without 
lifting  up  her  head.  "What  did  they  tell  you 
I  had  done!" 

' '  Your  father  made  no  accusation  against  you 
at  all,"  he  answered.  "He  simply  said  that 
you  met  and  passed  him  out  there  in  the  way." 


290  HIS  WIFE 

"But  Thoma  did,"  she  insisted  with  a  re- 
turning ring  of  anger  in  her  voice. 

"How  could  he?  He  has  not  yet  come  in," 
he  replied  evasively. 

"But  he  did,  before,"  she  repeated,  "out 
there  on  the  hill!  0  batka,"  she  cried,  raising 
herself  until  she  bent  threateningly  above  him, 
and  her  indignant  eyes  were  close  to  his.  "He 
looked  at  me !  He  looked  at  me  as  if  I  had  been 
unclean!"  The  old  man  patted  her  soothingly 
on  the  shoulders  and  sought  to  draw  her  back 
again  to  her  place  against  his  breast.  She  re- 
sisted  stiffly,  and  continued  to  challenge  him 
with  her  eyes,  as  if  it  were  he  who  had  done  to 
her  the  wrong. 

"Where  is  he  keeping  himself?"  she  de- 
manded. "I  want  to  tell  him  what  I  think." 

"I  have  told  you  already,"  he  answered, 
"that  he  has  not  come  in." 

"When  will  he  come?"  The  commandant 
stretched  the  truth  to  fit  the  exigency  of  his 
need. 

"I  do  not  know,"  he  said  gravely,  "but  I  am 
afraid  it  will  not  be  soon. ' '  The  girl,  as  he  had 
intended,  caught  at  once  at  the  sinister  sugges- 
tion in  his  words. 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA      291 

"Is  he,  then,  so  ashamed  that  he  will  not 
come  back?"  she  demanded  scornfully. 

"No,  not  ashamed.  But  I  suspect  that  he 
does  not  want  to  see  you  while  he  believes  about 
you  as  he  does."  In  her  excitement,  Sara 
Lukievna  slipped  down  from  the  chair-arm  and 
stood  erect  upon  her  feet. 

"But  he  has  not  the  right  to  believe  such 
things  about  me!"  she  cried  impatiently.  "You 
know  you  would  not,  if  you  were  in  his  place." 
He  looked  at  her  for  a  moment  in  meditative 
silence,  but  made  no  effort  to  draw  her  back. 

"No,"  he  said  judicially,  "I  do  not  suppose 
I  would.  But  it  might  help  even  me  if  you 
should  tell  me  what  you  were  really  doing  when 
they  saw  you  out  there  on  the  hill."  She 
studied  him  threateningly  for  a  moment,  unde- 
cided how  far  to  take  the  suggestion  in  good 
part.  In  the  end,  her  better  judgment  con- 
quered and  she  held  herself  in  check. 

"I  did  not  go  out  there  to  meet  any  man!" 
she  said  awkwardly. 

"But  you  did  meet  one,"  he  answered.  "At 
least,  your  father  says  he  saw  him  as  he  went 
away. ' ' 

"Oh,  that  way!    Yes,  of  course,"  she  said 


292  HIS  WIFE 

with  sudden  illumination.  '  *  But  he  was  no  one 
who  had  an  interest  in  me." 

"Whom  did  he  have  an  interest  in,  then,  that 
you  went  out  to  meet  him  in  that  way ! ' ' 

"It  was  for  Lisa,"  returned  the  girl  eagerly. 
"She  asked  me  because  it  was  so  she  could  not 
go  herself." 

"And  you  took  the  man  a  message?" 

"Yes,  a  message  and  a  package  which  I  de- 
livered into  his  hand." 

"What  was  the  message?" 

"Only  that  she  could  not  come.  She  said  he 
was  expecting  to  get  the  package,  and  I  would 
have  nothing  further  to  explain."  The  com- 
mandant's face  hardened,  and  his  lip  lifted 
with  an  unconcealed  contempt. 

"Is  not  your  father  enough  for  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna,"  he  said  dryly,  "that  she  has  to  go  out 
to  meet  another  man  ? ' '  The  girl  gasped  at  the 
accusation  and  made  a  quick,  protesting  motion 
with  her  hands. 

' '  Oh,  there  is  nothing  of  that  sort  in  it, ' '  she 
declared  eagerly.  "Lisa  does  not  go  out  be- 
cause she  cares.  The  meetings  with  the  man 
have  been  purely  a  question  of  affairs."  This 
unmistakable  corroboration  of  his  previous 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA      293 

fears  came  to  the  commandant  with  peculiar  dis- 
taste. Had  the  event  shown  that  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna's  lapse  had  been  simply  one  of  love,  he 
could  have  forgiven  her  without  reservation, 
and  felt  only  on  his  mind  the  problem  of  ef- 
fecting a  reconciliation  between  the  husband 
and  the  wife.  But  with  the  motive  for  the  meet- 
ings established  as  something  further  than  a 
matter  of  the  heart,  he  feared  the  worst  and 
found  decision  as  to  what  course  he  should  pur- 
sue as  far  away  as  ever. 

"That  is  better  for  your  father,  I  suppose,** 
he  said  doubtfully.  "But  it  does  not  help  me 
so  much  as  the  simpler  explanation  might.  Yet 
if  it  is  not  love,  what  is  it  that  takes  her  so  far 
afield?"  The  girl  hesitated  just  a  moment 
while  she  settled  with  herself  that  she  would 
not  be  disloyal  to  her  stepmother  in  telling 
what  she  knew. 

"I  have  never  heard,"  she  said.  "The  only 
time  we  ever  spoke  of  it,  she  asked  me  not  to 
ask." 

"But  your  father  knew,  I  suppose,"  he  sug- 
gested, "or  else  she  would  scarcely  have  liked 
to  take  the  risk."  Sara  Lukievna  flushed  as  if 
the  dereliction  had  been  her  own. 


294  HIS  WIFE 

"I  do  not  think  he  knew,"  she  said  hesitat- 
ingly. "Lisa  went  only  at  times  when  he  was 
away  at  work."  The  commandant's  thought 
went  back  to  the  talk  he  had  once  had  with 
Luka  Strukof  about  his  wife. 

"He  did  not  know,"  he  said  absently.  "But 
he  did  tell  me  that  there  was  trouble  between 
him  and  Lisa  Fedorovna,  and  that  they  were 
unhappy  about  this  or  something  else." 

"Yes,"  returned  the  girl  with  distinct  re- 
serve. "They  have  been  unhappy,  but  I  have 
never  found  out  surely  why  it  was. ' '  The  com- 
mandant sat  silent  for  a  moment,  pondering 
the  matter  with  half-closed  eyes.  Then  he  came 
back  to  himself  and  looked  up  at  Sara  Lukievna 
with  a  smile. 

"What  a  lot  of  happiness  we  lose  in  this 
world  because  we  think  evil  of  one  another  when 
we  might  think  good,"  he  said  suggestively. 
* l  Luka  and  Lisa  are  at  outs  because  each  thinks 
the  other  is  not  giving  what  he  should.  I  am 
basely  suspicious  of  the  whole  lot  of  you,  and 
unhappy  because  I  can  not  make  certain  where 
you  are  at  fault.  In  the  same  way,  you  are 
sure  that  Thoma  is  scandalously  unjust,  and 
he—" 


"Yes,"  she  interrupted  promptly,  "he  has 
no  right  to  think  such  things  about  me!  He 
ought  to  be  ashamed!"  The  commandant 
stopped  short  in  his  homily  and  put  out  his 
hands  to  her  with  the  first  laugh  he  had  given 
since  the  interview  began. 

"I  give  it  up,"  he  said  with  a  whimsical 
shake  of  the  head.  "Come  and  kiss  me  good 
night  and  to-morrow  we  will  see  again  what 
we  can  do  toward  making  this  fool  boy  of  ours 
admit  that  he  is  wrong."  She  complied  at 
once,  but  so  absently  and  with  such  perfunctory 
stiffness  in  the  embrace  that  he  laughed  joy- 
ously again. 

"You  stubborn  creature!"  he  said  in  mock 
despair.  ' '  Go  now  to  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  for 
the  night.  But  do  not  be  as  severe  with  her  as 
you  have  been  with  me.  She  is  the  one  person 
who  never  thinks  any  evil  in  this  world." 

But  when  she  was  gone,  the  twinkle  faded 
from  his  eyes  and,  lighting  his  pipe,  he  sat  long 
into  the  night,  looking  thoughtfully  at  the  stove 
and  trying  to  piece  into  a  clear  pattern  the 
motley  bits  of  information  about  the  matter  col- 
lected in  his  mind.  It  was  a  sorry  task,  how- 
ever, and  a  baffling  QLe^^etdk^TS  the  end  he 


296  HIS  WIPE 

knocked  the  ashes  from  his  pipe,  and,  setting 
both  it  and  the  contention  aside,  went  moodily 
to  bed. 

Sleep  and  the  sunlight  of  the  cheerful  dawn 
did  much  to  restore  in  him  the  kindly  confidence 
with  which  he  ordinarily  looked  on  life,  and  it 
is  probable  that  he  would  have  faced  his  world 
again  with  no  mark  on  him  of  the  trials  of  the 
night,  if  it  had  not  been  for  two  further  checks 
which  came  to  him  before  he  reached  his  morn- 
ing meal.  The  first  of  these  was  that  when  he 
inquired  for  Thoma  Pavelovitch  he  was  told 
that  he  had  not  yet  returned;  the  second,  that 
a  messenger  came  in  to  him  breathless  and  in 
haste,  to  say  that  in  the  night  the  lower  ware- 
house had  been  broken  into  and  the  store  of 
pelts  removed. 

He  was  exasperated  rather  than  disturbed 
that  his  son  continued  to  hold  his  grudge  so 
childishly  and  remain  so  long  away.  The 
looting  of  the  warehouse,  however,  was  a  seri- 
ous affair,  and  its  consideration  moved  him  pro- 
foundly, both  to  anger  and  alarm.  The  loss  of 
the  pelts  was  a  small  item  in  the  count.  The 
better  skins  were  all  in  the  larger  storehouse 
inside  the  stockade  an^  only  a  small  proportion 


of  his  hoard  had  been  trusted  to  remain  in  the 
more  isolated  place.  But  that  his  enemies 
should  dare  to  be  so  bold,  stirred  an  indignant 
thrill  in  every  fighting  fiber  of  his  bones. 

He  swore  a  little,  softly  to  himself,  and  kept 
the  messenger  by  him  till  he  could  decide  upon 
a  plan.  Now,  in  Thoma  Pavelovitch's  absence, 
he  began  to  realize  how  much  he  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  depending  on  his  son.  He  had  con- 
sulted him  so  freely  that  it  was  with  a  peculiar 
feeling  of  helplessness  that  he  set  out  to  face 
the  present  need  alone. 

As  a  first  offset,  he  sent  out  searchers  for 
the  missing  man,  with  orders  to  bring  him  in 
incontinently  wherever  he  was  found.  But  the 
immediate  lack  remaining,  he  turned  naturally 
to  the  one  who,  next  to  his  son,  had  been  most 
closely  connected  with  him  in  his  work.  Yet 
though  he  was  separated  from  Luka  Strukof 
only  by  a  wall,  each  tune  the  thought  of  calling 
him  to  counsel  rose  up  in  his  mind,  he  found 
himself  hesitating  to  act  upon  the  prompting 
and  uncertain  what  to  do. 

' '  What  has  his  wife  been  plotting  with  those 
people  over  there!"  he  asked  himself  resent- 
fully and  delayed  to  send  till  he  could  think 


298  HIS  WIFE 

again.  But  in  the  end  a  plan  formed  in  his 
mind  and  he  ordered  the  suspected  man  brought 
in. 

"Well,  I  see  that  your  wife's  friends  were 
with  us  again  last  night,"  he  said  harshly. 
Luka  Strukof  was  too  accustomed  to  the  varia- 
bility of  Pavel  Kolomin's  moods  to  be  disturbed 
by  the  address,  though  in  spite  of  him  the  color 
came  up  and  showed  consciously  in  his  cheeks. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  he  said  slowly.  Th« 
commandant's  intention  to  be  unpleasant 
showed  more  strongly  in  his  voice. 

"I  mean  what  I  say,"  he  said  coldly.  "If 
you  are  content  to  have  your  wife  have  lovers, 
I  suppose  it  is  outside  my  province  to  dispute 
your  taste.  But  it  is  entirely  within  my  right 
to  interfere  when  the  Company  is  called  upon 
to  help  pay  the  price  and  I  want  to  say  to  you 
that  somebody  has  got  to  answer  for  what  was 
done  last  night."  Luka  Strukof  continued  to 
look  at  his  superior  with  bewildered  inquiry. 

"Last  night?"  he  repeated.  "What  was  it 
that  was  done  last  night  ? '  * 

"Just  one  thing,"  returned  the  commandant 
sarcastically.  ' '  The  people  from  the  other  side 
acted  on  the  information  your  wife  sent  them 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA      299 

yesterday  and  came  back."  The  man  before 
him  winced  as  if  he  had  been  struck  and  in  his 
excitement,  forgetting  the  difference  in  their 
stations,  came  forward  and  put  his  hand 
stealthily  on  the  other's  arm. 

"You  found  some  one  last  night  at  the  house 
at  the  gate?"  he  whispered.  The  commandant 
swore  impatiently  and  shook  off  the  hand. 

"No  such  luck!"  he  said  tartly.  "If  there 
was  entertainment  for  lovers  here  last  night 
the  only  part  we  got  in  it  was  to  pay  the  bill." 
He  had  been  watching  Luka  Strukof  narrowly, 
with  the  thought  that  by  a  blunt  assumption  of 
complicity  he  might  surprise  from  him  admis- 
sion that  he  had  known  beforehand  of  the  plot 
to  take  the  skins.  But  the  man's  ignorance  was 
so  obviously  unfeigned  and  he  was  so  palpably 
in  the  dark  as  to  what  was  in  Pavel  Kolomin's 
mind,  that  the  commandant  recognized  the  fu- 
tility of  further  bullying  and  set  himself  to  be 
more  kind. 

'  *  I  should  have  told  you, ' '  he  said  more  gen- 
tly, "that  last  night  the  lower  warehouse  was 
raided  and  a  clean  haul  made  of  everything  it 
held."  Luka  Strukof  received  the  news  in  si- 
lence. It  was  plain  that  the  shaft  had  glanced 


300  HIS  WIFE 

from  the  wall  of  his  preoccupation  without 
piercing  through.  It  registered  in  his  con- 
sciousness, however,  for,  seeing  that  the  com- 
mandant was  watching  him  narrowly  and 
seemed  waiting  for  him  to  speak,  he  finally 
brought  his  mind  to  bear  on  the  thing  he  had 
been  told. 

"How  do  you  know?"  he  asked  stupidly. 

"Know!"  roared  the  commandant,  his  exas- 
peration lifting  his  voice  to  higher  tone.  1 1  The 
place  is  empty  and  there  is  a  trail  as  wide  as 
a  cart-track  running  down  to  where  they  loaded 
the  bales  on  to  the  sledges  at  the  beach."  His 
vehemence  brought  his  listener  more  surely  to 
himself  and  when  he  spoke  again  it  was  directly 
to  the  trouble  in  his  mind. 

"But  Lisa—"  he  said  huskily.  "What  had 
she  to  do  with  that?  I  do  not  understand." 
His  distress  was  so  apparent  that  the  com- 
mandant was  touched. 

"I  am  as  much  at  sea  as  you,"  he  said  earn- 
estly, "and  we  must  stand  together  to  find  out 
the  facts.  It  is  a  hard  thing  to  say,  Luka,  but 
I  am  afraid  that  all  we  feared  is  true  about 
your  wife.  I  have  talked  with  Sara  Lukievna 
and  she  did  go  out  yesterday  to  meet  a  man 


from  the  other  side.  But  the  going  was  not  of 
her  own  appointing.  It  was  purely  to  deliver 
a  message  from  your  wife.  What  the  message 
was  I  can  not  learn,  for  it  was  delivered  in 
writing  and  Sara  herself  does  not  know.  But 
there  are  but  two  ways  of  looking  at  the  matter 
that  I  can  see,  and  each  one  is  equally  unpleas- 
ant in  the  end.  Either  it  is  a  love  affair  of  your 
wife — which  is  treachery  to  you — or  she  has 
joined  herself  to  our  enemies  to  work  against 
the  post — which  is  treachery  to  us  all.  There 
is  no  escape,  it  seems  to  me,  from  one  of  these 
two  things." 

The  man  addressed  stood  so  stolidly  that  he 
scarcely  seemed  to  hear.  But  he  both  under- 
stood and  made  a  judgment,  for  after  a  moment 
his  lips  began  to  twitch  pathetically  and  his 
hand  felt  unconsciously  at  the  pocket  in  his 
blouse. 

"If  it  was  against  the  Company  alone,"  he 
said  fiercely,  "why  did  she  give  him  gifts!" 
The  commandant  took  advantage  promptly  of 
the  opening  thus  made. 

"She  is  the  only  one  who  can  tell  us  that, 
Luka,"  he  said  gently.  "Suppose  you  let  me 
send  for  her  to  talk  the  matter  over  here." 


302  HIS  WIFE 

Luka  Strukof  shivered  and  mechanically  shook 
his  head. 

"I  do  not  want  to  see  her,"  he  said  bitterly. 
"You  talk  with  her  yourself." 

"No,"  said  the  commandant,  "you  would 
be  a  coward  to  throw  the  whole  burden  on  to 
me.  And,  besides,  it  is  always  better  to  face 
the  truth  squarely,  no  matter  what  it  brings." 
He  lost  no  time,  though,  in  acting  on  the  pro- 
visional consent.  Sending  for  a  man  whom  he 
could  trust,  he  delivered  to  him  instructions 
which,  while  on  the  surface  they  seemed  simply 
a  request,  in  reality  amounted  to  an  order  for 
Lisa  Fedorovna's  arrest.  There  was  no 
threat  in  the  portion  of  the  charge  which  Luka 
Strukof  heard.  Before  him  the  commandant 
had  simply  said: 

"Go  to  the  house  at  the  gate,  and  say  to  Lisa 
Strukova  that  her  husband  is  here  with  me,  and 
wishes  to  see  her  as  soon  as  she  can  come." 
But  as  if  with  an  afterthought,  as  the  messenger 
was  about  to  leave  the  room,  he  had  thrown  up 
a  detaining  hand. 

"Oh,  by  the  way — "  he  said,  and  hobbled 
after  him  to  the  door.  Outside  he  had  spoken 
further  to  the  man,  holding  an  impressive  hand 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA      303 

upon  his  arm.  "This  is  a  confidential  matter," 
he  said,  "and  one  that  requires  haste.  You 
yourself  will  remain  with  Strukof 's  wife,  and 
see  that  she  talks  with  no  one  from  the  time 
she  gets  the  message  till  you  deliver  her  here 
to  me.  But  take  Levko  Kuvaldo  with  you  and, 
as  soon  as  the  woman  is  out  of  the  house,  have 
him  thoroughly  search  the  place.  And  do  all 
as  quickly  as  possible.  If  he  finds  there  any- 
thing bearing  on  what  happened  here  last  night, 
or  which  would  show  communication  with  the 
people  from  the  other  side,  have  him  lose  no 
time  in  bringing  it  to  me." 

His  face,  however,  showed  nothing  of  his 
thought  as  he  came  back  into  the  room.  He 
shot  one  questioning  glance  at  Luka  Strukof 
where  he  sat,  but  without  further  display  of  in- 
terest dragged  his  chair  to  its  usual  place  by 
the  window,  where  he  could  see  the  house  at  the 
gate  and  keep  in  touch  with  the  way  in  which 
his  order  was  being  carried  out. 

He  saw  the  two  men  set  out  upon  their  road 
and  watched  them  till  they  disappeared  behind 
the  building  to  which  they  had  been  sent.  But 
after  that  the  landscape  remained  empty  of  all 
promise,  and  he  found  nothing  without  to  set 


304  HIS  WIFE 

at  rest  the  uneasy  stir  of  anticipation  in  his 
blood. 

There  is  nothing  harder  in  the  world  than  this 
waiting  for  a  crisis  which  must  inevitably  come, 
and  both  men  felt  it,  though  in  differing  degree. 
With  Pavel  Kolomin  it  was  a  matter  of  official 
interest,  heightened  by  the  sympathy  which 
moved  him  for  his  friend.  But  with  Luka 
Strukof  it  was  the  resolution  of  a  fear  which 
had  its  roots  so  deep  down  in  his  heart  that 
they  fed  disturbingly  on  every  energy  of  his 
life. 

He  did  not  speak  after  the  commandant's  re- 
turn, but  sat  rigidly  in  his  place,  breathing 
with  deep  sighs,  and  looking  out  staringly  be- 
fore him  into  the  room.  But  as  the  minutes 
dragged,  the  silence,  the  concentration,  the 
agonizing  uncertainty,  wrought  their  work  in 
him,  until  he  could  no  longer  remain  quiet  in 
his  chair. 

'  *  God ! "  he  cried,  and  getting  to  his  feet  be- 
gan to  pace  restlessly  up  and  down  the  room. 
The  exclamation  broke  in  sharply  on  the  still- 
ness and  the  commandant  fairly  jumped,  as  his 
senses  responded  to  the  call.  He  turned  his 
head  quickly,  so  as  to  bring  the  speaker  in  his 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA     305 

gaze,  but  his  startled  look  changed  to  one  of 
pity  as  he  saw  how  genuinely  the  man  was 
moved.  Eising  in  his  turn,  he  went  to  the 
table  and  poured  out  some  vodka  into  a  glass. 
This  he  carried  to  Luka  Strukof  and  held  out 
to  him  with  honest  solicitation  in  his  face. 

"You  will  not  last  out,  man,"  he  said  kindly. 
"Drink  this.  It  will  help  you  to  keep  your 
grip.  Whatever  it  costs,  it  is  better  to  have 
the  truth,  and  in  a  very  little  while  now  you  will 
know."  Luka  Strukof  took  the  glass  me- 
chanically, and  without  a  change  of  face  drank 
off  the  fiery  liquor  it  contained.  Then  he  be- 
gan his  restless  pacing  up  and  down,  and  the 
commandant  returned  to  his  lookout  from  his 
chair. 

He  did  not  speak  again  till  he  saw  Lisa  Fe- 
dorovna  and  the  messenger  leave  the  house  at 
the  gate,  and  begin  their  progress  across  the 
open  square.  When  they  were  well  advanced, 
he  turned  to  the  man  beside  him  with  a  note  of 
warning  in  his  voice. 

"Your  wife  has  left  the  house,  Luka,"  he  said 
quietly.  "It  will  be  only  a  few  moments  now 
before  she  will  be  here."  The  man  stopped  in 
his  place  and,  as  was  his  custom  when  seeking 


306  HIS  WIFE 

for  control,  stood  with  the  palms  of  his  hands 
pressed  convulsively  together,  his  eyes  fixed  on 
the  commandant  as  if  struggling  to  understand. 
Then  he  came  swiftly  across  to  the  window  and 
looked  feverishly  down  into  the  open  square. 
It  was  empty  of  all  figures  and  he  turned  on 
Pavel  Kolomin  with  an  almost  fierce  demand. 

"Where?"  he  said  brokenly.  "How  was  it 
that  you  knew1?"  The  commandant  bent  for- 
ward his  head  attentively,  and  put  up  a  warn- 
ing hand. 

"They  are  too  close  for  you  to  see,"  he  said, 
"but  if  you  listen  you  will  hear  them  coming 
in."  Luka  Strukof's  attitude  stiffened  at  once 
to  tense  attention,  and  he  bent  with  fearful  in- 
terest to  catch  the  sounds  of  the  approach. 
They  came  to  him  unmistakably  in  the  muffled 
opening  and  shutting  of  the  great  front  door, 
and  then  in  the  confused  sound  of  footsteps  as 
the  prisoner  and  her  guard  came  up  the  bare 
wooden,  stairs.  His  composure  held  till  the 
change  in  rhythm  of  the  footbeats  announced 
that  the  pair  had  reached  the  upper  hall,  and 
then  his  hand  went  out  to  the  commandant  with 
a  tragic  gesture  of  appeal. 

"You!  You!"  he  cried  to  him  thickly,  and 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA     307 

retreating  to  the  window,  stubbornly  turned  Ms 
back.  The  commandant  had  no  time  to  reason 
with  him,  even  if  he  had  wished.  He  made  a 
half-motion  to  get  up,  but  thought  better  of  it, 
and  was  sitting  with  apparent  composure  in  his 
place,  when  the  door  swung  open  and  the  guard 
held  it  back  to  allow  Lisa  Fedorovna  to  pass  in. 

She  did  not  come  like  one  who  had  been 
brought.  Her  tall  figure  and  regal  carriage  of 
the  head  served  her  in  good  stead,  and  as  she 
advanced  into  the  room  her  presence  radiated 
a  quiet  dignity  of  protest  which  unconsciously 
compelled  respect.  The  commandant  re- 
sponded to  it  involuntarily  and,  coming  forward 
as  quickly  as  his  lame  knee  would  permit,  he 
drew  out  a  chair  and,  placing  it  gallantly,  in- 
vited her  with  a  gesture  to  sit  down. 

She  refused  the  courtesy  with  an  almost  im- 
perceptible movement  of  her  head,  though  she 
recognized  the  service  by  drawing  the  chair  to 
her  so  that  for  the  moment  her  hand  rested 
lightly  on  its  back.  Her  attention  from  the 
first  was  given  to  the  figure  by  the  window, 
and  her  eyes  fixed  themselves  on  it  with  an 
intentness  which  for  the  time  being  shut  the 
commandant  entirely  from  her  mind.  The 


308  HIS  WIFE 

guard  stood  watching  them  with  half-hid  curi- 
osity, and  Pavel  Kolomin  dismissed  him  with  a 
sign. 

*  *  You  may  go, ' '  he  said  in  a  low  voice.  *  *  But 
remain  outside,  if  I  should  call.  When  Levko 
Kuvaldo  comes,  send  him  in  instantly  to  me." 
The  man  saluted  and  obeyed,  and  the  command- 
ant brought  his  attention  back  to  the  silent 
woman  standing  by  the  chair.  Her  gaze  still 
rested  on  the  stubborn  figure  of  the  man  she 
loved,  and  it  was  plain  that  her  confidence  was 
unshaken  that  at  some  following  moment  he 
would  turn  and  speak.  But  as  the  intervals 
came  and  passed  relentlessly  without  a  sign, 
the  color  of  her  shame  and  disappointment  be- 
gan to  show  through  the  clear  olive  of  her 
cheeks,  and  she  turned  to  the  commandant  with 
misty  eyes. 

"It  was  you  alone  then  who  sent  for  me,"  she 
said  with  a  pathetic  touch  of  pride.  "What 
was  it  that  you  wished?"  The  commandant 
accepted  the  responsibility  frankly,  and  began 
at  once  on  what  he  had  in  mind. 

"It  was  I  who  sent  for  you,"  he  said  with 
gentle  sympathy.  '  *  I  was  in  trouble  about  cer- 
tain things  which  happened  here  last  night, 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA  .    309 

concerning  which,  from  what  yonr  husband  tells 
me,  I  had  hoped  that  you  could  throw  a  further 
light."  At  the  mention  of  Luka  Strukof's 
name,  Lisa  Fedorovna's  eyes  went  swiftly  back 
to  him,  in  the  hope  that  he  would  this  time  find 
an  interest  and  turn.  But  there  was  no  change 
in  the  stubborn  pose  of  the  jealous  man,  and 
she  brought  her  glance  reluctantly  to  the  com- 
mandant's expectant  face. 

"I  am  not  sure  that  I  know  what  the  matter 
is  which  is  disturbing  you, ' '  she  said  unsteadily. 
"But  if  you  will  tell  me,  I  will  answer  as  I  can." 
The  commandant  was  silent  for  a  moment,  as  if 
uncertain  just  where  to  begin. 

"I  suppose,  in  the  end,  it  is  a  question  of  per- 
sonal loyalty,"  he  said  thoughtfully.  "We  are 
so  small  a  community  and  so  dependent  on  one 
another  for  our  very  lives  that,  above  all,  the 
thing  which  counts  is  that  where  we  put  a  trust 
we  should  find  each  other  true."  She  followed 
the  words  attentively,  keeping  her  eyes  fixed 
searchingly  on  his  face. 

"Is  there  then  a  question  of  my  loyalty?"  she 
said  with  some  surprise. 

"There  has,  of  course,  been  no  accusation  of 
you  made,  but  certain  acts  of  yours  have  been 


310  HIS  WIFE 

reported  which,  in  view  of  the  trouble  that  lias 
come,  require  explanation  before  they  can  be 
set  aside."  She  did  not  try  to  avoid  the  issue, 
but  continued  to  look  him  squarely  in  the  eyes. 

"What  are  they?"  she  demanded  proudly. 
"I  know  of  nothing  I  have  done  of  which  I  need 
be  ashamed."  The  commandant's  own  eyes 
wavered  before  the  indignant  steadiness  of  hers, 
and  he  rubbed  his  lame  knee  softly  with  his 
hand.  Then  he  looked  up  quickly  with  a  sudden 
imperative  demand. 

"What  was  the  message  you  sent  yesterday 
by  Sara  Lukievna  to  the  man  from  the  other 
side?"  he  said  sharply.  In  spite  of  his  inten- 
tion he  did  not  take  her  unawares.  Her  eyes 
widened,  but  it  was  with  surprise  not  fear,  and 
when  she  answered  it  was  with  a  scornful  trem- 
bling of  her  lip. 

"So  that  is  the  reason  that  you  kept  Sara 
here  last  night,"  she  said  reproachfully.  "It 
was  not  necessary,  your  Wellborn,  and  it  was 
not  kind."  The  commandant  made  an  impa- 
tient gesture  with  his  hand. 

"It  is  not  a  question  of  kindness,"  he  said 
dryly.  "I  have  to  use  the  means  which  seem 
best  suited  to  the  case.  The  need  now  is  that 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA      311 

I  have  from  you,  without  evasion,  exactly  the 
information  you  gave  to  Konovalof's  people 
yesterday  in  the  message  which  you  sent." 

"There  was  none!"  she  declared  eagerly. 
"There  was  absolutely  nothing  said  about  the 
post." 

"You  are  sure?"  he  insisted. 

* '  So  sure  I  will  swear  it  before  the  Just  One, 
and  make  it  a  burden  on  my  soul."  The  com- 
mandant was  silent  for  a  moment  and  his  head 
went  down  again  till  she  could  not  see  his  face. 
Then  he  raised  it  with  a  wistful  look  at  the  for- 
lorn figure  of  the  man  across  the  room. 

"I  am  almost  sorry  for  that  word,"  he  said 
with  a  sigh,  * '  for  it  would  seem  to  make  you  out 
a  worse  woman  than  I  have  believed." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  cried.  The  com- 
mandant's eyes  went  again  furtively  to  the  win- 
dow, and  he  lifted  his  shoulders  in  an  expressive 
shrug. 

"If  you  did  not  go  to  give  the  man  informa- 
tion," he  said  coldly,  "why  is  it  that  you  have 
met  with  him  at  all?"  The  implication  was 
so  plain  that  Lisa  Fedorovna  could  not  but  un- 
derstand. The  color  started  redly  in  her 
cheeks,  and,  spreading  like  a  flood,  swept  over 


312  HIS  WIFE 

her  furiously  from  neck  to  hair.  As  she  real- 
ized the  full  significance  of  the  charge  and  the 
circumstances  which  combined  to  make  it  se- 
rious, her  hand  went  out  gropingly  to  the  chair, 
and,  drawing  it  to  her,  she  suddenly  sat  down. 

"Oh!"  she  cried.  "Oh!"  and  covered  her 
face  with  her  hands.  The  commandant 
watched  her  with  sympathetic  eyes.  It  was  a 
good  sign  to  find  her  thus  strongly  over- 
whelmed and  he  waited  with  such  patience  as 
he  might  to  see  whether  the  emotion  which 
moved  her  was  distress  or  shame. 

Before  he  could  be  sure,  there  was  a  knock  at 

-\     ' 

the  door,  and  going  to  it  he  opened  it  narrowly, 
and  held  a  momentary  converse  with  some  un- 
seen man  outside.  Then  he  closed  it,  and  came 
back  with  a  folded  paper  in  his  hand.  His  face 
was  less  sympathetic  and  he  moved  with  the  air 
of  one  who  has  received  an  unexpected  check. 
Lisa  Fedorovna  had  in  some  measure  recovered 
her  composure  and  sat  waiting  for  him  with  in- 
dignant eyes. 

"Does  he  believe  this  of  me?"  she  demanded 
with  a  tragic  inclination  of  her  head  toward  the 
place  where  Luka  Strukof  stood.  "Is  that  the 
reason  he  will  not  speak?"  The  commandant 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA      313 

was  busy  with  the  paper  in  his  hand  and  scarce- 
ly lifted  up  his  eyes. 

"Ask  him,"  he  said  curtly.  "He  should  be 
able  to  answer  for  himself."  She  started  to 
her  feet  with  the  evident  impulse  of  carrying 
the  suggestion  promptly  into  effect,  but  before 
she  had  moved  forward  from  her  place  her 
pride  checked  her  and  she  turned  again  to  the 
commandant,  the  light  of  it  shining  resentfully 
in  her  eyes. 

"No,"  she  said  with  quiet  dignity;  "if  he  be- 
lieves such  things  about  me,  it  is  his  place  to 
come  to  me."  The  commandant  finished  his 
reading,  and  gave  her  his  attention  with  a 
shrug. 

"Very  well,  then,"  he  said  curtly.  "Let  us 
get  through  this  affair  as  quickly  as  may  be." 
He  was  entirely  the  inquisitor  now  and  spoke 
sharply  and  to  the  point. 

"I  understand  you  then,"  he  said,  "to  deny 
that  in  your  meetings  and  relations  with  this 
man  you  have  ever  advised  him  or  given  him 
information  about  the  post?" 

"Yes,"  she  said. 

"And  that  you  have  not  gone  to  meet  him  be- 
cause you  were  in  love  with  him  or  cared!" 


314  HIS  WIFE 

"I  loathe  him,"  she  cried  excitedly.  "I 
could  not  like  him  if  I  tried." 

"But  he  cared  for  you,  then,"  persisted  the 
commandant,  "and  so  you  let  him  comet" 

"No.  In  all  our  meetings  he  never  spoke  a 
word  of  love  to  me  at  all.  He  did  not  dare," 
she  added  fiercely.  The  commandant  sighed 
despairingly  and  held  out  the  paper  in  his  open 
hand. 

"If  that  is  true,"  he  said,  "how  does  it  hap- 
pen that  he  addresses  you  with  such  lover-like 
fervor  in  this  letter  to  you  here?"  She  started 
forward  with  a  sharp  cry  of  pain,  her  eyes  fix- 
ing with  fascinated  horror  on  the  telltale  paper 
he  was  holding  out. 

"The  letter!"  she  whispered.  "You  have 
the  letter  that  he  sent?" 

"Yes.  It  was  just  now  brought  me  by  the 
man  who  found  it  where  you  hid  it  at  the  house 
at  the  gate."  For  an  instant  she  stood  trag- 
ically silent,  as  if  the  shock  of  discovery  had 
once  and  for  all  time  cut  her  off  from  speech. 
Then,  as  the  outrage  of  it  all,  the  undeserved 
indignity,  and  above  all  the  futility  of  denial  in 
the  face  of  the  apparently  incriminating  evi- 
dence he  held,  swept  dizzily  through  her  mind, 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA      315 

a  string  snapped  somewhere  in  her  courage  and 
she  burst  suddenly  into  tears. 

"I  will  tell  you  all!"  she  said  brokenly.  "I 
will  explain  everything  so  you  can  under- 
stand!" The  fulfilment,  however,  went  no 
further  than  the  promise,  for  at  that  moment, 
Luka  Strukof,  stirred  suddenly  to  action  by  the 
promptings  of  his  jealous  passion,  turned  from 
the  window  and  came  swiftly  to  them  across  the 
room.  His  face  was  livid  and  his  unsteady 
hands  reached  out  for  the  letter  which  the  com- 
mandant still  held. 

"Give  it  to  me,"  he  demanded.  "It  is  my 
right  to  see. ' '  He  took  it  without  a  look  at  the 
woman  at  his  side,  but  before  he  could  set  his 
eyes  upon  its  contents,  she  had  her  arms  around 
him  and  was  pleading  with  him  in  a  wild  agony 
of  despair. 

"Do  not  read  it,  Luka  1"  she  cried  frantically. 
"If  you  love  me,  wait  till  we  are  alone  and  I 
can  tell  you  why  it  was  I  allowed  it  to  be  sent!" 
He  paid  no  attention  to  her  entreaties,  but  hold- 
ing the  letter  beyond  her  reach,  read  from  the 
open  page  which  faced  him  till  he  had  its  con- 
tents indelibly  in  mind.  She  struggled  help- 
lessly with  him  while  he  did  it,  her  incoherent 


316  HIS  WIFE 

urgings  settling  at  last  to  the  one  pitiful  re- 
peated plea,  * '  Wait,  Luka !  Oh,  if  you  love  me, 
wait!" 

The  one  reading  was  enough  and  when  he  had 
finished  it,  his  hand  opened  and  the  sheet 
dropped  unheeded  to  the  floor.  He  stood  stiffly 
pressed  against  her,  but  after  a  little  the  burden 
of  what  Lisa  Fedorovna  was  saying  bore  itself 
in  on  his  confusion  and  reaching  behind  his 
head  he  roughly  seized  her  hands. 

"Love  you!"  he  cried  jeeringly.  "Oh,  my 
God !  Let  me  go ! "  he  went  on  fiercely.  "  It  is 
not  around  my  neck  you  should  have  your 
arms !"  She  struggled  desperately  to  maintain 
her  place,  but  his  insane  excitement  lent  him 
strength  and,  tearing  himself  from  her  clasp,  he 
threw  her  back  so  violently  that  she  went  reel- 
ing half-way  across  the  room. 

1  i  I  am  done ! "  he  announced  with  fierce  inten- 
sity. "Go  out  and  meet  your  lover  from  the 
other  side!"  The  action  was  so  rough  that 
Pavel  Kolomin  started  instinctively  from  his 
chair. 

"Be  careful,  Luka,"  he  cried  warningly. 
"Remember  that,  after  all,  she  is  your  wife." 
The  caution  was  the  last  straw  laid  on  the  man's 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA      317 

self-restraint.  He  whirled  on  Pavel  Kolomin 
like  a  madman,  his  arms  lifted  high  above  his 
head. 

"Why  should  I  care?"  he  shouted.  "She  is 
not  and  never  has  been  my  wife!'* 

The  denunciation  came  like  a  bolt  from  a 
clear  sky  and  having  delivered  it,  Luka  Strukof 
himself  stopped  abruptly,  as  if  disturbed  that 
he  had  told  so  much.  Lisa  Fedorovna  cried  out 
sharply  and  turned  to  the  commandant,  her  lips 
parted  and  her  face  a  mobile  mirror  of  dismay. 
Pavel  Kolomin  forgot  his  pains  in  his  astonish- 
ment and  leaving  his  place  went  briskly  across 
to  where  Lisa  Fedorovna  stood. 

"There,  there!"  he  said  breathlessly.    "It  is 
not  so  bad  as  that.    He  will  repent  it  once  he  is 
himself."    He  put  out  his  hand  to  her  with^ 
friendly  tenderness,  but  she  shrank  from  him 
and  stood  back. 

"Do  not  touch  me!"  she  said  with  a  proud 
humility.  "It  is  all  true  as  he  has  told  you. 
I  have  never  been  his  wife. ' '  He  looked  at  her 
dumbly,  as  if  he  did  not  understand,  but  as  the 
full  import  of  her  words  grew  clear  to  him,  he 
slowly  withdrew  his  hand  till  it  dropped  back  to 
his  side.  She  did  not  wait  for  him  to  speak, 


318  HIS  WIFE 

but  went  on  hurriedly,  her  voice  thrilling  the 
more  pathetically  that  she  did  not  weep. 

4 'I  never  thought,  though,  to  have  to  answer 
for  the  fact,"  she  said  drearily.  "It  was  be- 
yond prevision  with  me  that  Luka,  of  all  others, 
would  thus  put  me  on  defense.  I  am  not  a  bad 
woman,  for  all  that  he  has  said,  and  there  is  a 
reason  why,  though  we  are  here  together,  we 
are  still  unwed.  But  it  is  Luka 's  reason  and  I 
can  not  tell  it  to  you  without  his  consent.  If 
he  tells  you,  you  will  understand.  If  not,  I 
shall  have  to  remain  in  your  regard  as — "  she 
hesitated  for  the  word  and  then  went  on  with  an 
added  quiver  in  her  voice — "as  the  thing  I  now 
appear  to  you  to  be." 

She  stopped  again  and  the  commandant  could 
see  that  she  was  struggling  wildly  with  herself 
to  maintain  her  self-control.  He  kept  his  eyes 
fixed  consciously  on  the  ground  and  presently 
she  spoke  to  him  again. 

"Is  that  all,  your  Wellborn?"  she  said  in  the 
same  full  tone.  "  If  so  I  think  that  I  should  like 
to  go. ' '  The  commandant  looked  up  to  her  with 
quick  sympathy  in  his  face. 

"Yes,  go,"  he  said.  "You  have  enough  to 
bear  without  my  adding  an  iota  to  the  load." 


THE  QUESTIONING  OF  LISA     319 

She  looked  at  Luka  Antonovitch  and  made  as 
if  she  was  about  to  speak.  But  he  would  give 
no  sign  that  he  was  conscious  of  her  presence 
and  the  desire  went  no  further  with  her  than  the 
thought.  She  straightened  herself  proudly  to 
her  full  height  and  bowed  to  the  commandant 
with  dry  eyes.  But  at  the  door  she  stopped  and 
turned  to  make  a  last  appeal. 

"I  could  explain  it,  Luka,"  she  said  wist- 
fully, "if  you  would  only  let  me  try.  I  have 
never  been  untrue  to  you  either  in  word  or  deed. 
What  I  did  in  this  case  was  done  to  save  you 
from  something  worse,  and  I  want  to  tell  you 
before  I  go  that  it  was  Ivan  Ignatich  I  went  out 
to  meet.'* 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  EESCUE  OF  THOMA 

Sara  Lukievna,  going  to  the  commandant, 
came  upon  her  stepmother  as  she  fled  down  the 
stairs. 

"Why,  Lisa!"  she  said  and  paused  to  let  her 
speak.  But  the  distracted  woman  put  down 
her  head  and,  without  seeming  to  see  her, 
passed  obliviously  by.  Sara  Lukievna  stood 
and  watched  her  till  she  passed  out  of  the 
house.  It  disturbed  her  that  Lisa  Fedorovna 
should  even  momentarily  place  herself  thus 
cavalierly  outside  of  her  need,  but  a  second 
thought  brought  the  remembrance  that  her  step- 
mother was  fresh  come  from  the  explanation 
to  the  commandant  of  her  meetings  in  the; 
woods,  and  she  surmised  shrewdly  that  the  re- 
lation had  brought  to  her  less  of  pleasure  than 
of  pain. 

"I  wonder  what  the  truth  was,"  she  said  and 
passed  on  to  the  commandant's  door.    There 
320 


was  a  confused  sound  of  voices  from  the  room 
and  though  she  knocked,  no  answer  came  to  her 
from  within.  After  a  moment's  waiting,  with 
the  privilege  of  her  position  in  the  house,  she 
opened  the  door  without  invitation  and  went  in. 

Her  father  was  standing  in  the  center  of  the 
room,  his  hands  pressed  behind  him  and  his 
eyes  fixed  sullenly  on  the  floor.  The  command- 
ant stood  in  front  of  him,  his  arms  outstretched 
and  his  palms  uplifted  in  impressive  appeal. 
His  absorption  in  his  theme  was  too  great  sum- 
marily to  be  checked  and,  without  giving  her  at- 
tention, he  went  on  hurriedly  with  his  speech. 

* '  Go  to  her,  man,  and  let  her  tell  you, ' '  he  was 
saying.  "It  is  the  wisest  way  and,  more  than 
that,  it  is  the  thing  that  is  most  kind."  Both 
men's  eyes  turned  to  her  sharply  as  they  real- 
ized her  presence  and  they  came  to  sudden  si- 
lence, their  eyes  fixed  on  her  with  an  almost 
guilty  look. 

'  *  May  I  come  in  ?  "  she  said.  ' '  I  knocked,  but 
you  did  not  seem  to  hear."  The  commonplace 
interrogation  brought  them  back  wholesomely 
to  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life.  The  command- 
ant's startled  pose  relaxed  and  he  mechanically 
nodded  his  head. 


322  HIS  WIFE 

"Yes.  Come  in,"  he  said  absently.  "I  was 
just  finishing  with  your  father  here."  He 
turned  again  to  Luka  Strukof  and  put  his  hand 
upon. his  arm.  "You  are  going  to  take  my  ad- 
vice?" he  said  coaxingly.  But  Luka  Strukof 
shook  his  head. 

"In  the  end,  perhaps,"  he  said  slowly,  "but 
first  I  have  to  settle  with  the  man. ' '  The  com- 
mandant's  face  showed  his  disappointment  and 
he  turned  impatiently  to  the  girl. 

"Your  father  is  not  an  easy  man  to  urge," 
he  said  dryly.  "When  he  gets  an  idea  into  his 
head,  nothing  short  of  a  convulsion  will  shake 
it  out.  Have  it  your  own  way,  then,"  he  went 
on,  with  a  wave  of  the  hand  to  Luka  Strukof 
which  transferred  the  responsibility  to  him. 
"It  would  be  but  common  justice  though  to  give 
to  Lisa  the  chance  she  asks  for  to  make  plain 
her  heart."  Luka  Strukof  acted  on  the  per- 
mission without  vouchsafing  thanks,  and  went 
away  with  no  sign  given  that  he  was  like  to 
change  his  mind.  The  commandant  turned  to 
Sara  Lukievna  and,  putting  his  arm  around 
her,  drew  her  with  him  across  the  room. 

"This  is  not  an  easy  world,  is  it?"  he  said 
wearily.  "And  especially  for  the  man  who  has 


THE  BESCUE  OF  THOMA        323 

it  on  his  shoulders  to  try  to  make  other  people 
good!" 

1  'It  is  your  own  fault  for  trying,"  she  an- 
swered. "Why  do  you  not  stop  bothering 
about  it  and  leave  Providence  to  arrange  things 
as  it  likes?"  Pavel  Kolomin  grunted  and  blew 
his  breath  out  through  his  nose. 

"A  nice  job  Providence  would  make,  trying 
to  run  this  post  here  by  itself,"  he  said  scorn- 
fully. "Look  at  your  father  there,  for  in- 
stance," he  added,  pointing  through  the  window 
at  the  retreating  figure  of  Luka  Strukof  as  he 
went  hurrying  away.  "Providence,  there,  ap- 
pears to  be  letting  him  think  that  it  has  given 
him  a  special  commission  to  go  across  the  river 
and  slaughter  the  man  who  has  been  meeting 
your  stepmother  in  the  woods.  Now  I  could 
tell  him — as  I  did,  though  he  would  not  listen 
to  me — that  a  far  better  plan  would  be  to  make 
sure  first  that  the  man  really  needs  killing  by 
going  for  the  information  to  your  stepmother  at 
the  house  at  the  gate. ' ' 

"To  kill  the  man!"  she  cried.  "What  did 
Lisa  tell  you  she  had  done?" 

"That  is  the  trouble!  Providence  did  not 
think  it  worth  while  to  have  her  tell  us  that. 


324  HIS  WIFE 

Your  mother  wanted  to  explain,  but  your  father 
was  so  sure  he  knew  already,  that  he  would  not 
listen  to  the  facts."  The  girl  turned  on  the 
commandant  sharply,  her  dark  eyes  full  of 
scorn. 

"And  you  let  them  go  without  finding  out  the 
truth?"  she  cried.  The  commandant  faced  the 
protest  without  a  waver  to  show  he  was  dis- 
turbed. 

"There  was  no  choice,"  he  said  quietly.  "I 
made  no  bones  of  question  till  I  was  sure  they 
had  committed  no  treason  toward  the  post. 
But  at  that  point  I  stopped,  for  it  seemed  to  me 
that  beyond  it  no  one  but  God  had  a  right  to 
probe  their  hearts." 

"But  there  must  be  some  way,"  cried  the 
girl  helplessly.  Pavel  Kolomin  looked  at  her 
with  sudden  speculation. 

"I  wonder  now  if  you  might  prove  to  be  the 
way,"  he  said  thoughtfully.  "Lisa  is  fond  of 
you  and  there  is  a  chance  that  you  might  find 
success  with  her  where  the  rest  of  us  have 
failed." 

"You  mean  that  I  might  go  to  Lisa  and  ask 
her  for  the  truth?" 

1 1  Yes, ' '  said  the  commandant, ' '  why  not  ?    If 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THOMA         325 

you  fail,  there  is  no  harm  done,  and  if  you  suc- 
ceed, it  may  mean  that  you  will  save  for  your 
father  his  reason,  if  not  his  life."  The  girl 
shrank  from  the  undertaking,  but  the  impor- 
tance of  its  doing  appealed  to  her  so  that  her 
heart  pushed  her  reluctantly  forward  toward 
consent. 

"I  will  try  it,  of  course,"  she  said  finally, 
"but  before  I  begin  you  must  tell  me  exactly 
everything  that  has  occurred."  She  drew  a 
chair  up  close  beside  the  commandant,  and 
waited  for  him  with  her  hands  clasped  in  her 
lap.  Pavel  Kolomin  dealt  with  her  frankly, 
telling  her  the  facts  without  omission,  from  the 
time  when  he  had  seen  the  stranger  first  tamper 
with  the  trap.  The  only  detail  which  he  with- 
held was  the  final  revelation  that  Luka  Strukof 
and  Lisa  Fedorovna  were  not  truly  man  and 
wife.  The  girl  listened  with  close  interest,  but 
at  the  end,  her  attention  showed  itself  fixed  on 
something  other  than  that  which  stirred  so  un- 
easily in  Pavel  Kolomin 's  mind. 

"But,  batka,"  she  said,  "are  you  not  afraid 
that  something  bad  has  happened  to  Thoma? 
Even  if  he  were  really  angry  with  me,  there  is 
no  place  in  the  settlement  where  he  could  hide 


326  HIS  WIFE 

himself  so  long."  The  commandant's  jaw 
dropped  and  he  looked  at  her  in  blank  surprise. 

"I  had  not  thought  of  it,"  he  said  with  hasty 
introspection.  "It  never  occurred  to  me  that 
they  would  dare."  His  faith  in  his  son  was 
too  great  to  be  so  easily  shaken,  and  almost  as 
he  spoke,  his  face  cleared  and  he  threw  up  his 
chin  with  a  scornful  assumption  of  disbelief. 

"They  could  not  take  him!"  he  said  con- 
temptuously. "If  they  have  got  him  it  is  be- 
cause he  went  with  them  of  himself!"  The 
girl's  optimism,  however,  was  less  sure.  Her 
face  clouded  and  in  her  eyes  there  showed  the 
promise  of  immediate  tears. 

"But,  little  father,"  she  said  tremulously, 
"suppose  he  should  not  come  back!" 

"I  will  marry  you  myself,"  declared  the 
commandant  stoutly.  "I  am  not  afraid." 
The  matter  was  too  near  to  Sara  Lukievna's 
heart  to  be  thus  passed  off  with  a  jest. 

"Be  serious,"  she  pleaded.  "You  surely 
will  send  some  one  over  there  to  ask  about  him, 
will  you  not?"  The  old  man  leaned  forward 
and  patted  the  girl's  hands  affectionately  as 
they  lay  in  her  lap. 

"There,  there!    Do  not  cry!"  he  said  to  her 


THE  KESCUE  OF  THOMA         327 

soothingly.  "I  would  do  it  for  your  sake,  even 
though  I  thought  there  was  no  need." 

"But  when?"  she  persisted. 

* '  By  noon,  at  the  latest.  Some  one  will  have 
to  go  over,  anyway,  to  see  what  happens  to 
your  father  and  it  will  be  no  trouble  to  make 
inquiry  for  two."  The  girl's  face  cleared  and 
starting  to  her  feet  she  bent  impulsively  above 
the  commandant  and  put  both  her  arms  about 
his  neck. 

"You  are  good  to  me,"  she  cried.  "If 
Thoma  does  not  come  back  I  am  not  sure  but  I 
would  just  as  lief  have  you.  I  shall  do  what 
you  wish.  I  will  see  Lisa  between  now  and 
noon  and,  if  she  will  talk  with  me,  you  shall 
have  a  report  about  it  when  I  come  to  hear  what 
you  have  learned. "  As  an  earnest  of  intention 
she  gave  him  a  final  squeeze  and,  disengaging 
herself  without  further  word,  ran  swiftly  from 
the  room. 

Outside,  she  paused  and  considered  what  to 
do.  Her  promise  to  the  commandant  prompted 
immediate  visit  to  Lisa  Fedorovna  and  the 
house  at  the  gate.  But  the  day  was  young  and 
the  hazard  sure  that,  late  as  well  as  soon,  she 
would  find  her  stepmother  in  her  usual  place, 


328  HIS  WIFE 

and  she  found  herself  drawn  alluringly  by  the 
temptation  to  defer  the  interview,  till  she  had 
gone  over  the  ground  of  yesterday's  adventures 
and  seen  for  herself  exactly  where  everything 
occurred. 

Lest  Pavel  Kolomin  should  be  again  at  his 
window,  she  shaped  her  course  ostentatiously 
across  the  open  toward  the  point  where  her 
duty  called.  When  the  house  at  the  gate  was 
reached,  she  passed  around  the  corner  as  if  go- 
ing to  the  door.  But  once  hidden  by  the  walls, 
she  stopped  and  looked  guiltily  around  her  to 
see  if  any  one  was  near.  Finding  herself  unob- 
served, she  set  out  again,  and  keeping  the  house 
as  a  shelter  between  her  and  the  commandant's 
prying  eyes,  passed  quickly  away  from  it  to  the 
blank  wall  of  the  stockade. 

From  this  point  to  the  coveted  exit  by  the 
gate  there  was  nothing  to  shelter  her  if  any  one 
should  spy  and  again  she  stood  breathless  for 
a  moment,  studying  the  chances  and  steadying 
herself  with  one  hand  against  the  wooden  wall. 
Then  with  a  deep  breath,  she  darted  forward 
and  keeping  close  to  the  great  fence,  skimmed 
like  a  frightened  bird  along  its  confines  and  out 
through  the  open  gate. 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THOMA         329 

No  one  stopped  her  or  made  challenge,  but 
there  was  a  delicious  thrill  of  excitement  in  the 
possibility  of  interference,  which  kept  her  run- 
ning till  she  was  well  up  on  the  hill.  When  she 
came  to  the  place  where  she  had  met  her  father 
and  Thoma  Kolomin  the  day  before,  she  turned 
out  of  the  path  and  went  directly  to  the  spot 
where  they  had  stood.  The  snow  was  trampled 
there,  and  with  a  shy  look  around  that  she 
might  be  sure  that  no  one  would  surprise  her 
in  the  trick,  she  went  and  stood  in  the  tracks 
which  she  knew  had  been  made  by  Thoma  Kol- 
omin's  feet. 

It  was  cold  comfort,  however,  and  after  a  mo- 
ment's self-indulgence,  she  slipped  back  into  the 
path  and  began  to  descend  the  hill.  The  store- 
house had  been  stripped  so  clean  that  it  had 
not  been  thought  worth  while  even  to  close  the 
door.  There  was  no  one  about  the  place  and 
she  went  in  and  looked  around,  and  coming  back 
stood  in  the  doorway  to  study  the  broad  track 
made  by  the  marauders  which  ran  down  frankly 
from  the  threshold  to  the  beach. 

The  day  was  gray  and  the  air  heavy  with  the 
mist.  The  place  was  absolutely  still  and  the 
girl  grew  suddenly  conscious  of  the  quiet,  as  if 


330  HIS  WIFE 

it  had  been  a  weight.  It  was  largely,  of  course, 
the  fear  for  her  lover  which  under  all  other 
things  had,  from  the  first,  lain  hidden  in  her 
heart.  But  the  desolateness  of  the  landscape, 
the  pillaged  house,  the  suggestion  of  hurried  go- 
ing in  the  trampled  path,  gave  to  her  fear  a 
new  and  sinister  significance,  and  for  the  mo- 
ment it  overcame  the  cheerful  curiosity  that  had 
brought  her  to  the  place,  and  drew  the  tears  un- 
beckoned  to  her  eyes. 

"Thoma?"  she  called  softly,  and  then 
stopped  with  parted  lips.  The  sound  of  her 
voice,  though,  broke  effectually  the  spell,  and 
with  a  laugh  at  her  own  foolishness,  she  shook 
off  the  possession  of  her  loneliness  and  turned 
her  face  back  again  toward  home. 

Even  then  she  did  not  enter  the  stockade,  but 
kept  on  along  the  river-bank  toward  the  shelter 
and  the  boat-house  where  the  messenger  had 
hidden.  Above  them,  she  picked  up  her  father's 
trail  and,  following  it  down,  came  to  the  scene 
of  the  struggle  and  the  place  where  the  inquisi- 
tion had  been  held.  She  went  over  this  with 
much  of  her  old  excitement  and  listened  breath- 
lessly at  the  door  of  the  dark  boat-house,  though 
she  did  not  venture  in. 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THOMA         331 

Then  she  remembered  the  fish,  and  the  fact 
that  it  had  not  been  brought  away,  and,  with 
renewed  thrills  of  speculation,  advanced  to  the 
shelter,  skirting  it  so  as  to  come  to  it  on  its 
open  side.  She  passed  around  the  corner  with- 
out a  thought  of  danger  in  her  heart.  But 
scarcely  was  she  in  view  of  the  interior  when 
she  stopped  abruptly  and,  with  a  sharp  ejacula- 
tion, fled  back  again  around  the  angle  of  the 
house.  Here  she  stood  her  ground,  listening 
breathlessly  and  taking  swift  stock  of  the  cause 
of  her  alarm. 

"Who  is  there?"  she  called,  and  waited  with 
her  skirts  in  her  hand,  ready  for  instant  flight. 
There  was  no  answer,  however,  nor  any  other 
sign  of  life,  and  after  a  little,  she  plucked  up 
courage  and  moved  stealthily  forward  until  she 
again  could  see.  There  was  a  man  in  the  shel- 
ter, as  she  had  thought,  though  he  did  not  move 
or  speak.  The  strong  light  in  the  place  left  no 
room  for  mistake,  and  recognizing  who  it  was 
with  the  first  good  look,  she  went  to  him  with  an 
outcry  and  a  rush. 

It  was  Thoma  Kolomin,  and  he  had  been 
trussed  and  tied  and  set  up  stiffly  against  the 
wall,  with  long  sticks  under  his  arms  and  knees 


332  HIS  WIFE 

to  prevent  his  rolling  from  his  place.  A  gag  of 
soft  bark  was  in  his  mouth  and  between  his 
knees,  as  if  in  derision,  had  been  wedged  the 
stolen  fish.  The  girl  swept  it  to  one  side  and 
seized  him  in  a  close  embrace. 

"Thoma!"  she  cried.  "Thoma!  I  thought 
you  were  never  coming  back!"  She  was  half- 
way between  tears  and  laughter,  and,  forgetting 
in  her  excitement  that  he  had  need  of  aid, 
she  held  him  to  her  tightly,  punctuating  her  joy 
with  a  series  of  breathless  hugs.  His  dumbness 
under  this  treatment  recalled  her  to  a  realiza- 
tion of  his  bondage  and  with  fluttering  hands 
she  began  to  tug  at  the  cords  which  held  the  gag. 

11  There,  there!"  she  said  soothingly,  as  if  it 
were  he  instead  of  herself  who  must  be  en- 
couraged to  be  calm.  "In  just  a  moment, — be 
still  for  just  a  moment  and  I  shall  have  you 
free ! ' '  He  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  her  while  she 
undid  the  cord,  and  as  the  gag  fell  away  from 
his  face,  he  took  in  his  breath  with  a  deep  gasp 
of  relief. 

Sara  Lukievna  stood  back  and  regarded  him 
with  her  most  engaging  smile.  But  Thoma 
Kolomin  had  been  too  long  in  bond  for  senti- 
ment and  with  scarcely  a  look  at  her  busied 


himself  with  working  his  tongue  and  trying  the 
stiffened  muscles  of  his  face. 

"Water,"  he  whispered,  when  he  could  form 
the  word.  The  girl,  with  a  wild  look  around 
for  something  which  should  serve  her  purpose 
as  a  cup,  seized  on  a  large  clam-shell  lying  on 
the  floor,  and  rushed  away  with  it  to  the  nearest 
stream.  She  nearly  wept  as  she  saw  how  hard 
it  was  for  him  to  drink.  Her  arm  went  round 
his  head  and,  drawing  it  against  her,  Bhe  held 
the  shell  to  his  lips,  as  if  he  had  been  a  little 
child. 

"You  poor  boy!"  she  said.  "And  I  thought, 
all  the  time,  that  you  were  staying  away  because 
you  believed  things  about  me ! ' '  The  water  re- 
vived Thoma  Kolomin,  and  he  found  a  further 
interest  in  life. 

"My  hands,"  he  said  huskily.  She  let  go  of 
him  and  stood  back  with  a  self-accusing  cry. 

' <  Forgive  me ! ' '  she  pleaded.  ' '  I  forgot  that 
you  were  tied."  She  went  down  on  her  knees 
and  began  to  fumble  awkwardly  at  the  leathern 
thongs  around  him.  But  the  bonds  were  stiff 
and  the  knots  cunningly  devised  and  she  made 
small  progress  toward  getting  them  undone. 
He  guessed  that  the  work  was  beyond  the  limit 


334  HIS  WIFE 

of  her  skill,  and  after  a  moment  suggested  an- 
other way. 

"Take  my  knife  and  cut  them,"  he  said. 
' '  You  will  find  it  in  the  pocket  of  my  blouse. ' ' 

' '  This  one  ? ' '  she  asked. 

"No.  In  the  larger  one  on  the  other  side." 
She  bent  across  him  and  inserted  her  hand  in 
the  designated  place.  Her  whole  attention  was 
absorbed  in  the  problem  of  how  soonest  to  get 
him  free.  But  the  nearness  of  her,  and  the 
feeling  of  her  hand  against  his  side,  as  she 
fumbled  in  the  pocket  for  the  knife,  stirred 
Thoma  Kolomin  to  an  unexpected  thrill  of  sen- 
timent, and  leaning  forward  he  let  his  head  drop 
into  the  hollow  of  her  shoulder  and  kissed  her 
softly  on  the  neck.  The  hand  came  out  of  his 
pocket  with  panicky  haste  and  she  straightened 
herself  with  a  gasp.  Then  she  bent  down  to 
him  again  and  kissed  him  with  an  awkward 
little  laugh. 

"I  forgot  for  the  moment,"  she  said  shyly. 
"But  I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  do  not  think  me 
altogether  bad. ' '  He  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  her 
in  evident  contentment,  but  he  added  no  cor- 
roboration  of  his  forgiveness  by  word  of  mouth. 
She  smiled  upon  him  for  a  moment  and  then, 


THE  EESCUE  OF  THOMA         335 

abstracting  the  knife,  opened  it  and  set  to  work 
upon  the  thongs. 

It  took  small  time  to  saw  them  through  and, 
as  they  loosened,  the  imprisoned  man  drew  his 
hands  and  legs  cautiously  free,  flexing  them  and 
moving  them  stiffly  backward  and  forward  to 
make  sure  that  they  would  work.  Sara  Lu- 
kievna  could  not  keep  her  hands  off  him  and 
occupied  herself  with  rubbing  alternately  his 
wrists  and  ankles,  as  opportunity  allowed. 

"Pavel  PavelovitcK  has  told  me  all  that  hap- 
pened last  night,  Thoma,"  she  said  solicitously. 
' '  Did  you  have  to  fight  them  all  t  * '  He  paused 
in  his  rubbing  long  enough  to  look  at  her  with 
puzzled  inquiry,  as  if  he  did  not  understand. 

"It  was  the  man  who  robbed  the  trap  and 
two  others,"  he  said  in  sullen  justification.  "I 
could  not  help  being  taken.  The  one  fooled  me 
into  chasing  him  into  this  place  and  when  I 
grappled  with  him  the  two  others  jumped  on  me 
from  behind. " 

"Of  course  you  could  not  help  it,"  she  as- 
sented sympathetically.  ' '  There  is  no  one  who 
could  fight  with  three  at  once."  He  accepted 
this  crumb  of  consolation  in  moody  silence  and 
the  girl  went  hastily  on.  '  *  But  there  must  have 


336  HIS  WIFE 

been  more  than  three  at  the  storehouse,  Thoma. 
From  .the  trail  there  were  a  dozen  there  at 
least/' 

"What  do  you  mean?"  he  demanded.  "I 
was  not  at  the  storehouse  and  I  saw  but  three. ' ' 
She  told  him  promptly  all  that  had  occurred  and 
he  listened  with  attentive  face.  Indeed,  it  came 
to  her  that  the  narration  brought  a  light  into 
his  eyes  which  had  not  developed  in  the  discus- 
sion of  their  more  personal  interests  of  the 
heart.  She  recognized,  of  course,  that  he  no 
longer  looked  at  her  with  anger  or  distrust,  but 
somehow  she  found  herself  disturbed  that  he 
made  no  direct  avowal  of  the  fact. 

It  piqued  her  that  after  this,  their  first  seri- 
ous misunderstanding,  he  should  come  to  recon- 
ciliation with  so  calm  a  face.  The  anguish  she 
had  suffered  seemed  to  demand  a  more  defi- 
nitely proffered  balm,  and  as  they  talked,  in  def- 
erence to  this  uneasiness,  she  found  herself 
from  time  to  time  punctuating  her  narrative 
with  openings  which  afforded  him  the  chance  to 
tell  her  really  how  he  felt.  But  he  either  ig- 
nored or  did  not  see  them  and  her  exasperation 
grew  till  she  could  wait  no  longer,  but  made 
shift  to  carry  her  point  by  direct  assault. 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THOMA        337 

The  circulation  had  come  back  to  Thoma 
Kolomin's  legs  and  with  assistance  he  got 
slowly  to  his  feet.  He  tried  himself  to  see  if 
he  could  walk  and  then  turned  to  Sara  Luki- 
evna  with  impatience  in  his  face. 

1  'Come,"  he  said,  throwing  his  arm  around 
her  shoulders  for  support.  "Let  us  get  away 
from  here.  Twelve  hours  is  enough  when  one 
has  had  nothing  to  do  but  think. ' '  She  saw  her 
opportunity  and  snuggling  against  his  side,  she 
slipped  her  arm  as  far  as  it  would  go  around 
his  waist. 

"And  during  that  time  did  you  think  some- 
times of  me?"  she  said  shyly.  He  looked  down 
at  her  from  the  corners  of  his  eyes  and  there 
was  just  a  suspicion  of  humor  in  his  glance. 

"Yes,"  he  said  gravely,  "I  thought  of  yon  a 
great  deal." 

"And  what  did  you  think?"  she  said  more 
softly.  "Was  it  good  or  bad?"  He  hesitated 
before  answering  and  she  hung  her  head. 

"I  faced  the  truth,"  he  said  sturdily.  "I 
was  not  afraid."  She  raised  her  head  proudly 
and  looked  him  squarely  in  the  eyes. 

"Then  you  must  have  had  very  pleasant 
thoughts, ' '  she  said  with  unexpected  spirit* 


338  HIS  WIFE 

1 '  They  were  not  altogether  bad, ' '  he  said  with 
his  slow  smile.  But  Sara  Lukievna  had  come 
to  the  point  where  she  could  stand  no  more 
equivocation.  She  twisted  her  shoulders  out 
from  under  his  arm  and,  slipping  around  in 
front  of  him,  stopped  him,  with  both  hands  on 
his  breast. 

' '  Thoma  Kolomin, ' '  she  cried.  ' '  Give  me  an 
answer,  yes  or  no.  Did  you  sit  tied  up  there  all 
night  long  and  think  of  me  as  you  looked  at  me 
yesterday  up  there  on  the  hill?"  Even  then 
his  words  came  slowly,  though  this  time  she  saw 
the  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"Why,  of  course  not,"  he  said.  "I  over- 
heard the  men  who  tied  me  talking,  and  knew 
from  what  they  said  that  it  was  your  step- 
mother and  not  you  who  really  was  at  fault." 
To  his  surprise  the  answer  seemed  to  excite  in- 
stead of  calm  her,  and  she  fairly  jumped  up  and 
down  and  shook  him  with  her  hands. 

"Did  anybody  ever  see  such  a  man!"  she 
cried  helplessly.  "He  has  known  ever  since 
last  night  that  he  was  wrong  and  even  when  he 
sees  me  he  does  not  think  to  tell ! ' ' 

"But  I  thought  that  you  would  know,"  he 
protested  feebly. 


THE  RESCUE  OF  THOMA         339 

"Know!"  she  repeated.  "How  could  I 
know  you  were  going  to  meet  the  man?"  He 
found  no  answer  to  the  question,  but  stood  look- 
ing at  her  so  ruefully  that  her  heart  smote  her 
and  she  laughed. 

' l  But  you  were  wrong,  were  you  not  ? ' '  she  de- 
manded. "You  know  it  now?" 

"Yes,"  he  assented  meekly.  "I  was 
wrong. ' ' 

"Then  I  forgive  you,"  she  cried  magnani- 
mously. ' '  Only  next  time  you  must  tell  me  the 
moment  that  you  know." 


CHAPTER  XH 

THE  MAN  WHOM  LUKA  FOUND 

Jealousy  is  as  madly  blind  as  love,  and  when 
Luka  Strukof  went  out  from  the  commandant's 
room,  it  was  with  scarcely  less  than  murder  in 
his  heart.  From  the  reading  of  the  letter,  he 
had  definitely  lost  his  hold  on  outside  things, 
and  his  wife's  denial,  his  own  denunciation  of 
her,  which  had  not  been  planned,  her  wretched- 
ness and  fear,  and  the  commandant's  later 
pleadings  that  he  would  set  aside  his  convic- 
tions and  go  to  her  again,  all  possessed  him  but 
as  nightmares,  which  stood  to  cloud  his  right- 
eous purpose  of  seeking  out  the  cause  of  all  the 
trouble  and  dealing  out  to  him  the  summary 
justice  which  has  been  the  betrayed  man's  right 
since  the  world  began. 

To  get  his  hand  personally  on  the  offender — 
that  was  the  one  compensatory  thing.  This 
thought  had  persisted  as  a  necessity  through  all 
the  mad  confusion  of  the  struggle  with  his  wife, 

340 


THE  MAN  WHOM  LUKA  FOUND    341 

and  now,  in  his  going,  it  remained  as  the  only 
clear  and  certain  purpose  in  his  mind.  He 
paused  on  the  lower  floor  of  the  house,  long 
enough  to  possess  himself  of  ammunition  and 
a  gun,  and  then,  with  eyes  that  saw  nothing  and 
ears  that  heard  nothing  but  the  mad  tumult  of 
his  bitter  thoughts  within,  he  left  the  barrack 
behind  him  and  set  out  upon  his  quest. 

Without  a  look  at  his  own  house  as  he  passed, 
he  went  out  through  the  gate,  and,  taking  the 
trail  to  the  river,  shaped  a  course  across  the  ice 
which  would  take  him  to  the  blockhouse  on  the 
other  side.  He  made  no  plans  as  to  what  would 
happen  when  he  once  was  there.  The  way 
would  come,  and  come  quickly,  if  only  he  could 
find  the  man. 

But  the  sharp  air,  the  enforced  exhilaration 
from  his  walk,  and  the  bay-like  stretch  of  the 
river,  which  made  him  long  upon  the  way,  all 
had  a  force,  without  his  knowing  it,  to  soothe 
and  calm  him,  and  bring  him  to  a  certain  mas- 
tery of  himself.  The  facts  could  not  be 
changed  for  him,  nor  the  pain  of  what  he  had 
been  through.  But  the  contact  with  nature 
clarified  his  vision  and  gave  him  a  momentary 
respite  from  the  rush  of  the  many  turbulent 


342  HIS  WIFE 

emotions  which  had  simultaneous  hold  upon  his 
mind. 

It  could  not  change,  of  course,  the  deeper  pur- 
pose in  his  heart.  The  clearing  of  the  clouds 
simply  left  that  standing  out  more  strongly 
than  before.  But  his  other  troubles  became  a 
background  of  distinctly  less  significance,  and  if 
he  found  a  doubt  to  challenge  the  certainty  of 
Lisa  Fedorovna's  guilt,  it  lay  in  the  remem- 
brance of  her  last  assertion  that  it  was  Ivan 
Ignatich  alone,  whom  she  had  gone  out  to  the 
hill  to  meet.  He  knew  who  Ivan  Ignatich  was 
and  even  the  wild  unreasonableness  of  his  sus- 
picious mind  balked  at  belief  that  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna's affections  should  have  turned  aside  to 
him. 

"We  shall  see  though  when  I  find  him,"  he 
said  grimly.  "He  shall  tell  me  whether  he  was 
acting  for  himself.*' 

There  was  no  orderly  arrangement  about 
Konovalof 's  camp.  Trees  lay  where  they  had 
been  felled,  a  litter  of  equipage  stood  carelessly 
about,  the  trampled  snow  was  brown  with  gar- 
bage and  with  filth,  and  so  frankly  heedless 
were  the  dwellers  in  the  place,  that  when  Luka 
Strukof  came  up  the  bank  to  the  level  of  the 


THE  MAN  WHOM  LUKA  FOUND    343 

post,  there  was  not  a  soul  in  sight  to  challenge 
him  or  forbid  his  entrance. 

He  stood  for  a  moment  undecided,  looking 
from  the  angled  tower  to  the  two  low  shed-like 
buildings  on  the  slope  beyond.  A  sound  of 
voices  from  the  nearer  place  gave  him  a  guiding 
clue,  and  striding  across  to  it  he  pushed  open 
the  door  and  passed  boldly  in.  The  (whole 
lower  floor  of  the  tower  was  in  one  open  space 
and  once  inside  he  stopped  abruptly  and  stood 
looking  down  the  room. 

At  a  long  table,  furnished  and  set  for  din- 
ner, were  seated  perhaps  twenty  men.  His 
intrusion  had  startled  them  and  they  rose  up 
simultaneously,  the  benches  behind  them  falling 
backward  to  the  floor.  Both  sides  stood  gazing 
at  each  other  in  mutual  amaze,  but,  as  they  re- 
covered themselves,  one  of  the  twenty  who  had 
sat  at  the  head  of  the  table  left  his  place  and 
came  menacingly  toward  Luka  Strukof  across 
the  room. 

'  *  Who  are  you  f "  he  demanded,  but  before  the 
words  were  fairly  out  of  his  mouth  another  of 
the  party  ran  forward  with  a  shout  and  caught 
the  speaker  by  the  arm. 

1  'Do  not  harm  him!"  he  cried.    "It  is  the 


344  HIS  WIFE 

husband — the  mad  one!  I  claim  him  as  my 
own."  It  was  the  man  who  the  previous  day 
had  been  taken  with  the  fish,  and,  slipping  in 
front  of  his  companion,  he  brought  him  fairly 
to  a  stop. 

"Go  back  to  your  dinner,"  he  said  laugh- 
ingly. ' '  He  is  not  after  you.  Can  you  not  see 
that  he  is  alone?"  The  man  resisted  grum- 
blingly,  but  finally  turned  back  and  the  one  who 
had  interfered  ran  down  the  room  to  Luka 
Strukof  with  hand  outstretched  as  to  an  ex- 
pected guest. 

"I  thought  you  would  come,"  he  declared 
cheerfully.  "Ivan  Ignatich  told  me  yesterday 
that  you  arrived  at  the  meeting-place  too  late. ' ' 
Luka  Strukof  was  too  taken  aback  by  his  im- 
petuosity to  make  immediate  answer,  but  he 
drew  his  hands  down  with  a  distinct  reserve. 
The  other  saw  the  movement  and  laughed  joy- 
ously aloud.  "Be  magnanimous,  man, — as  I 
am,"  he  said.  "I  have  never  done  you  any 
harm,  and  it  will  not  hurt  you  to  shake  me  by 
the  hand."  Luka  Strukof  hesitatingly  ex- 
tended his  arm  and  the  other  met  him  with  a 
hearty  grasp. 

* '  That  is  better, ' '  he  said.  ' '  I  have  harbored 
nothing  against  you.  My  grudge  was  against 


your  friend  there  who  made  me  run.  Have  you 
found  him  yet?"  he  cried  with  sudden  anima- 
tion. Luka  Strukof  did  not  speak,  but  he 
slowly  shook  his  head.  "Well,  you  will  then, 
when  you  go  back,"  announced  the  other  with 
the  same  swift  volubility.  "He  is  in  the  little 
shelter  up  there  on  the  bank — and,  yesterday 
being  a  fast  day,  we  arranged  him  the  fish  for 
company."  But  Luka  Strukof  was  in  too 
deadly  earnest  to  return  pleasantry  in  kind. 
His  eyes  wandered  impatiently  to  the  group  of 
men  who  were  replacing  their  benches  and  re- 
turning to  their  meal.  Not  finding  what  he 
wanted,  he  came  back  to  the  man  beside  him 
with  a  direct  demand. 

"Where  is  Ivan  Ignatich?"  he  asked 
abruptly.  ' '  He  is  the  man  I  want. ' '  His  com- 
panion shrugged  his  shoulders  and  lifted  his 
hands  in  a  gesture  of  mock  regret. 

"There  you  are  again,"  he  said  cheerfully. 
"Luck  certainly  is  not  with  you,  friend.  Ivan 
Ignatich  is  gone  away."  Luka  Strukof 's  face 
remained  a  mask,  but  his  excitement  began  to 
blaze  fiercely  in  his  eyes. 

"Gone!"  he  echoed.  "He  was  here  last 
night." 


346  HIS  WIFE 

''That  is  true.  But  eight  hours  ago  he  went 
out  to  Kenai  by  the  trail,  and  by  this  time  is 
on  the  boat  for  Iliamna  on  the  other  side.  He 
told  me  he  thought  you  might  be  here  to-day," 
he  added  with  a  grin.  Luka  Strukof  s  disap- 
pointment rose  up  in  him  beyond  controlling  and 
he  lifted  his  hand  with  a  gesture  of  elemental 
rage. 

* '  Damn  him ! "  he  cried.  ' l  May  God  for  ever 
damn  his  ungracious  soul!"  His  listener 
watched  the  outburst  with  unfeigned  delight. 

1  'That  is  right,  if  it  relieves  your  mind,"  he 
said  approvingly.  "It  was  a  coward's  trick  to 
sneak  away  without  paying  for  his  score."  He 
turned  his  attention  to  himself  and  began  feel- 
ing in  the  pocket  of  his  blouse.  "He  did  not 
entirely  forget  the  obligation,  though,"  he 
added.  "He  left  you  this  letter  which  I  was  to 
give  you  when  you  came."  He  extended  the 
paper  which  Luka  Strukof  took  with  shaking 
hand.  He  looked  the  outside  over  stupidly  and 
then,  resting  his  gun  against  the  wall,  opened 
the  missive  feverishly  and  began  to  read. 

"My  esteemed  friend,"  it  said;  "I  am  very 
sorry  that  I  can  not  wait  until  you  come,  but  my 


THE  MAN  WHOM  LUKA  FOUND    347 

prudence  tells  me  it  is  best  to  go  away.  The 
game  for  me  is  up,  though  not  for  the  cause  that 
you  will  think.  I  am  not  afraid  of  you  and 
would  have  liked  nothing  better  than  to  stop 
and  give  you  the  satisfaction  of  a  fight,  if  it 
were  not  that  in  waiting  I  should  have  to  have 
it  out  with  at  least  one  other  besides  you.  The 
reason  for  my  going  lies  with  this  other  man. 
I  shall  not  tell  you  who  he  is,  because  I  do  not 
want  to  discount  beforehand  the  pleasure  of 
your  surprise.  Ask  for  the  stranger  who  ar- 
rived this  evening,  and  he  will  tell  you  why  I 
give  up  my  pleasant  arrangements  with  your 
wife.  If  you  feel,  as  I  fear  you  do  from  what  I 
hear,  that  this  thing  has  been  a  strain  upon 
your  peace,  take  the  assurance,  as  an  evidence 
of  my  gratitude,  that  there  is  absolutely  no  rea- 
son for  you  to  doubt  your  wife.  I  have  not  been 
making  love  to  her,  my  friend.  She  is  too  cold 
a  sort  for  me.  I  like  a  woman  who  is  not 
afraid  to  give.  But  as  a  provider,  she  has  been 
worth  my  time  and  I  give  her  the  credit  of  be- 
ing generous — at  least,  where  your  safety  has 
been  the  price.  With  this  your  trouble  stops. 
She  made  the  payments  for  my  silence,  and 
naught  else,  and  when  you  have  settled  with  the 


348  HIS  WIFE 

man  I  spoke  of,  there  will  be  no  further  reason 
for  my  being  bought." 

The  letter  stopped  abruptly  without  signa- 
ture, and  when  it  was  done,  Luka  Strukof 
stood  with  it  in  his  hand,  devouring  it  with  his 
eyes,  as  if  there  must  be  something  more  to 
read.  He  turned  it  over  and  looked  at  the 
other  side,  and  then,  with  a  suspicious  glance 
at  the  man  who  had  given  it  to  him,  went 
through  the  screed  again.  The  other  followed 
his  motions  with  frank  interest  and  found  his 
curiosity  too  strong  to  allow  him  to  be  still. 

"Well,  does  it  tell  you  what  you  want?"  he 
demanded  briskly.  Luka  Strukof 's  eyes  came 
up  to  his  confusedly  and  he  slowly  shook  his 
head. 

"Who  is  the  stranger  who  has  come?"  he 
asked.  His  companion's  quick  wit  carried  him 
at  once  to  a  new  conclusion  in  the  case. 

"So  it  was  that  man  who  really  put  our 
friend  upon  the  road, ' '  he  said.  ' '  I  know  noth- 
ing of  him  except  that,  from  the  time  he  came, 
Ivan  Ignatich  took  to  cover  and  made  haste  to 
get  away."  Luka  Strukof  interrupted  with  an 
impatient  gesture  of  his  hand. 


THE  MAN  WHOM  LUKA  FOUND    349 

" Where  is  the  man  now!"  he  demanded. 

"He  was  here  for  dinner,  till  a  moment  be- 
fore you  came.  I  think  you  will  find  him  in 
the  farther  of  the  two  houses  in  the  rear." 

"I  will  go  to  him,"  returned  the  other 
grimly,  and  reached  hehind  him  for  his  gun. 
The  action  had  so  sinister  a  significance  that 
the  other  man  misunderstood. 

"All  right,"  he  assented  cheerfully.  "Go 
there  and  kill  him,  if  you  want  to.  No  one 
knows  him  or  is  especially  interested  in  him 
here."  He  made  a  motion  forward  that  was  a 
proffer  of  accompaniment,  as  Luka  Strukof 
laid  his  hand  upon  the  door,  but  the  latter 
stopped  him  with  a  word. 

"It  is  better  that  I  go  alone,"  he  said  hastily. 
"I  shall  come  back  here  after  it  is  done."  The 
other  stopped  reluctantly  and  renounced  his 
purpose  with  a  shrug. 

"Have  it  your  way,"  he  said.  "I  suppose, 
after  all,  it  is  your  own  affair."  Luka  Strukof 
waited  no  longer,  but  went  promptly  out.  His 
companion  remained  true  to  his  promise  and 
accompanied  him  no  farther  than  the  door. 
Yet,  parted  from  the  object  of  his  interest,  he 
did  not  at  once  return  into  the  house,  but  stood 


350  HIS  WIFE 

looking  after  him  with  a  face  whose  expression 
showed  a  whimsical  mixture  of  amusement  and 
regret,  and  so  remained  until  Luka  Strukof 
disappeared  into  the  house  to  which  he  had 
been  sent. 

Coming  into  it  from  the  open,  the  latter  could 
make  out  little  except  that  the  walls  of  the  new 
barrack  were  lined  with  rolls  of  bedding,  and 
that  a  confusion  of  clothes  and  other  litter  lay 
on  the  floor  between.  At  first,  he  thought  there 
was  no  one  in  the  place,  but  as  his  eyes  became 
accustomed  to  the  dimness,  he  realized  that 
something,  scarcely  more  than  a  shadow,  was 
moving,  down  toward  the  farther  limit  of  the 
gloom. 

He  advanced  some  steps  into  the  apartment, 
and  saw  that  the  figure  was  that  of  a  man  with 
his  back  toward  him,  bending  down  in  the  pro- 
cess of  taking  a  garment  from  a  leathern  sack 
for  clothes.  He  went  on  farther,  and  the  noise 
of  his  coming  announced  him  to  the  man  before 
him,  so  that  he  rose  from  his  stooping  position 
and  turned  around  to  look. 

The  recognition  was  instantaneous  on  both 
sides.  The  stranger  moved  forward  a  step  im- 
pulsively and  then  stood  still.  But  Luka 


THE  MAN  WHOM  LUKA  FOUND    351 

Strukof  cried  aloud,  as  if  in  sudden  fear,  and, 
leaning  out  for  a  better  view,  fixed  his  eyes 
on  the  figure  which  confronted  him,  with  a  look 
of  fascinated  horror  which  held  him  rooted  to 
his  place. 

' '  Egor ! "  he  cried  under  his  breath.  *  '  Egor ! ' J 
His  whole  body  began  to  shake  as  if  he  had  a 
palsy,  and  his  grasp  slackened  so  that  his  gun 
slipped  clattering  to  the  floor.  He  was  not  con- 
scious of  its  fall,  however,  and,  lifting  a  trem- 
bling hand,  he  began  crossing  himself  with 
monotonous  regularity.  The  other  did  not  find 
it  in  his  plan  to  move  or  break  the  silence,  and 
after  a  moment  the  strain  of  waiting  proved 
too  much  for  Luka  Strukof  and  he  spoke  again. 

' '  I  have  not  touched  her ! "  he  cried  sharply. 
"Why  can  you  not  rest  quiet  in  your  grave!" 
The  apparition  threw  out  its  hands  with  a  sud- 
den gesture  of  impatience  and  began  to  move 
toward  him  down  the  room.  Luka  Strukof 's 
fear  became  a  panic  and  he  crossed  himself 
more  vigorously  than  before.  He  looked  back 
wildly  to  one  side  and  the  other  as  if  meditat- 
ing flight,  but  his  courage  held  so  that  he  stood 
his  ground,  though  his  livid  face  and  trembling 
knees  proclaimed  the  effort  it  required.  The 


352  HIS  WIFE 

end  of  endurance  came,  however,  while  the  ob- 
ject of  his  fear  was  still  outside  his  touch,  and 
he  threw  up  his  hand  with  such  compelling  pro- 
test that  the  other  stopped  short  where  he  was. 

"Stand  back!"  he  cried,  his  voice  rising  al- 
most to  a  scream.  "I  will  take  no  punishment 
at  your  hand.  I  tell  you  I  have  never  taken  her 
for  myself  at  all."  The  other's  face  remained 
inscrutable,  though  he  made  no  motion  to  come 
farther  forward. 

"Be  still!"  he  said  curtly.  "I  am  not  dead, 
and,  without  fighting  specters,  you  have  more 
than  enough  to  answer  to  me  for,  as  a  living 
man."  He  was  younger  than  Luka  Strukof 
and  more  dark,  but  as  they  stood  there  in  the 
half-light,  there  was  so  strong  a  family  resem- 
blance between  them  that  anywhere  it  would 
have  proclaimed  them  kin.  The  announcement 
came  to  Luka  Strukof  with  a  shock  even  greater 
than  that  which  had  moved  him  when  he  had 
thought  his  visitor  a  ghost. 

"Not  dead!"  he  repeated  stupidly.  "Not 
dead ! ' '  and  then  as  the  truth  became  a  certainty 
for  him,  and  he  remembered  what  had  come  to 
him  to  bear  and  to  suffer  because  for  so  many 
months  he  had  believed  the  other  way,  his  world 


THE  MAN  WHOM  LUKA  FOUND     353 

began  to  slip  dizzily  away  from  him  and  he 
cried  out  bitterly  aloud. 

"0  my  God!"  he  said,  and,  swaying  in  his 
place,  he  groped  out  blindly  with  his  hands. 
The  other  misinterpreted  both  the  action  and 
the  cry  and  stepped  quickly  back. 

"Do  not  touch  me!"  he  cried  sharply.  "It 
will  go  hard  with  you  if  you  try  to  kill  me  now." 
He  had  held  his  arm  down  stiffly  at  his  side, 
but,  as  he  moved,  it  could  be  seen  that  he  had  a 
pistol  in  his  hand.  Luka  Strukof ' s  face  flushed 
furiously,  but  no  resentful  answer  rose  up  on 
his  tongue. 

"Believe  me,  I  have  no  such  thought,"  he 
said  brokenly.  "From  the  day  I  knew  that 
you  were  dead,  there  has  never  been  a  time 
when  I  would  not  willingly  have  given  up  my 
own  life  if,  by  doing  so,  I  could  have  returned 
you  yours."  The  other  listened  with  evident 
disbelief. 

"  I  do  not  see  why  I  do  not  kill  you,  ' '  he  said 
coldly.  "It  is  what  I  came  all  this  way  to  do. 
If  you  had  not  spoken  so  quickly  when  you  first 
saw  me,  I  should  have  done  it  then.  But  you 
said  that  you  had  never  taken  Lisa  to  you  as  a 
wife,  and  it  has  made  me  stop.  Tell  me,  before 


354  HIS  WIFE 

we  go  further,  where  she  is."  Luka  Strukof  s 
face  grew  suddenly  crafty,  and  he  spoke  with 
more  reserve. 

"Kill  me,  if  you  like,"  he  said  humbly. 
* '  Perhaps  I  owe  you  my  life,  though  it  is  a  true 
word  that,  if  I  had  known  what  I  was  doing 
that  other  time,  I  should  never  have  attempted 
yours.  But  why  should  you  do  Lisa  harm? 
She  could  not  help  it  that  she  cared  for  me." 
The  other  drew  in  his  breath  with  a  sharp  gasp 
of  protest,  and  his  mouth  twitched  so  convul- 
sively that  his  words  were  almost  unintelligible 
as  he  spoke. 

"It  is  a  lie ! "  he  cried  with  a  conviction  that 
was  pathetically  a  hope.  "She  was  not  willing. 
You  were  my  brother,  and  I  trusted  you  with 
her  and  you  took  her  away  from  me  by  force ! ' ' 
Luka  Strukof 's  face  relaxed  to  its  old  look  of 
despairing  vacancy,  and  he  passed  his  hand  un- 
certainly across  his  eyes. 

"God  knows  that  of  myself  I  do  not  know," 
he  said  solemnly.  "I  have  to  guide  me  only 
what  was  told  me  after  it  occurred.  But  I  did 
not  force  Lisa  to  come  here  with  me  against  her 
will.  She  did  that  on  her  own  decision  and  only 
because  she  wished."  The  younger  man  broke 


THE  MAN  WHOM  LUKA  FOUND    355 

in  on  him  almost  before  the  words  had  left  his 
mouth. 

"I  do  not  believe  it!"  he  cried.  "Let  me  see 
her  for  myself  and  she  will  talk  a  different 
way."  But  Luka  Strukof  was  equally  stub- 
born in  his  turn. 

11  You  shall  not  see  her,"  he  said  with  prompt 
decision,  "until  you  promise  not  to  do  her 
harm."  The  other  stood  in  manifest  indeci- 
sion, and  it  was  plain  that  his  desire  to  see 
again  the  woman  whom  he  loved  was  pushing 
hard  his  instinct  toward  revenge.  He  lifted 
his  arm  and  looked  moodily  at  the  pistol  which 
remained  balanced  irresolutely  in  his  open 
hand. 

"What  a  weakling  I  am!"  he  said  as  if  to 
himself.  Then,  with  a  softening  of  expression 
which  ran  both  to  figure  and  to  face,  he  tossed 
the  pistol  on  to  the  nearest  bed  and  turned  to 
his  brother,  all  his  emotion  shining  in  his  eyes. 

"Luka,"  he  said  huskily,  "you  have  not  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  Lisa  for  yourself.  Will  you 
be  content  to  let  her  come  to  me,  if  she  tells 
you  now  that,  after  all,  she  cares  more  for  me 
than  she  does  for  you?"  It  was  a  question  the 
very  contemplation  of  which  turned  Luka 


356  HIS  WIFE 

Strukof  faint,  and  his  face  flushed  angrily  as 
he  took  it  in. 

1  'What  is  the  use  to  promise?"  he  said 
roughly.  "If  there  was  uncertainty  about  it 
in  those  days,  there  is  absolutely  none,  now  that 
I  have  her  heart."  The  other  cried  out  with  a 
sharp  note  of  pain. 

"If  you  are  so  certain,  you  surely  should  not 
be  afraid!"  he  urged  with  eager  volubility. 
"Give  me  my  chance,  man.  At  the  very  least, 
you  owe  me  that!"  Luka  Strukof  looked  at 
him  for  a  moment  with  wistful  calculation  in 
his  eyes. 

"And  if  she  decides  against  you,"  he  said 
searchingly,  "will  you,  too,  abide  by  the  re- 
sult?" It  was  Egor  Strukof 's  turn  to  hesitate, 
and  the  stress  of  decision  blanched  his  face. 
Twice  he  essayed  speech,  but  each  time  checked 
himself  before  the  words  dropped  from  his 
mouth.  Then,  with  a  sharp  out-breathing,  he 
made  up  his  mind. 

"What  have  I  but  the  chance!"  he  cried 
brokenly,  and  lifted  up  his  hands.  "I  swear  to 
you  before  God,"  he  went  on  solemnly,  "that 
whichever  way  it  goes  for  me,  I  will  accept  her 
choosing,  and  it  shall  be  the  end!" 


THE  MAN  WHOM  LUKA  FOUND    357 

"God  hold  me  to  like  word!"  returned  his 
brother,  and,  without  further  ceremony,  stooped 
and  picked  up  his  gun.  "Lisa  is  at  Kussilof, 
just  across  the  river,"  he  added  quietly.  "If 
you  are  ready,  I  will  take  you  to  her  now." 


.  CHAPTER 

LISA'S  STORY 

When  Sara  Lukievna  came  finally  to  the 
honse  at  the  gate,  it  was  with  a  face  that  was 
both  radiant  and  clear.  Her  only  qualm  lay  in 
the  guilty  realization  that  she  had  taken  so 
much  time  in  helping  Akoulina  Fedosyevna  look 
after  Thoma  Kolomin's  needs  that  it  was 
already  well  past  noon.  The  dereliction,  how- 
ever, premised  no  damage  that  was  really  be- 
yond repair,  and  with  a  heart  that  was  at  peace 
with  all  the  world,  she  opened  the  outside  door 
and  passed  in. 

The  kitchen  and  the  living-room  were  empty, 
and  she  paused  for  a  moment  before  the  door  of 
her  stepmother's  room  and  listened  to  see  if 
Lisa  Fedorovna  was  within.  There  was  no 
sound  to  indicate  her  presence  and,  after  a  mo- 
ment's hesitation,  the  girl  tapped  lightly  on  the 
panels  and,  without  waiting  for  an  answer,  gen- 
tly tried  the  latch. 

358 


LISA'S  STORY  359 

It  answered  readily  to  her  touch  and  she 
passed  in  unheralded  and  softly  closed  the  door. 
Her  stepmother  was  lying  on  the  bed  across 
the  room  in  much  the  same  attitude  that  she  had 
been  when  Sara  Lukievna  first  saw  her  in  the 
place.  This  time,  however,  the  interruption 
gave  her  no  impetus  to  rise  and  she  let  herself 
lie  in  full  abandon  on  the  covers,  her  face 
turned  resolutely  to  the  wall. 

The  girl  stood  looking  breathlessly  at  her  for 
an  instant  and  then  went  swiftly  to  her  across 
the  room.  Seating  herself  on  the  edge  of  the 
bed,  she  bent  above  the  prostrate  woman  and 
laid  her  cheek  sympathetically  against  hers. 
Lisa  Fedorovna  paid  no  attention  to  the  gentle 
ministration,  though  she  did  not  remonstrate 
or  try  to  draw  away.  But  the  pressure  of  the 
girl's  warm  flesh  and  her  unobtrusive  sympathy 
went  unerringly  to  her  heart  and  after  a  little, 
her  breath  began  to  draw  in  audibly  in  convul- 
sive sobs  and  the  tears  to  run  stealthily  down 
her  cheeks.  The  girl's  own  eyes  grew  peril- 
ously moist  and  she  pressed  the  older  woman 
closely  in  her  arms. 

" There,  there!"  she  whispered  soothingly. 
"It  will  not  make  it  better  that  you  cry."  But 


360  HIS  WIFE 

Lisa  Fedorovna's  heart  was  still  too  sore  to 
bear  unflinchingly  so  direct  a  touch.  She  stirred 
in  her  place  and,  pushing  the  girl  aside,  got  up 
and  began  walking  nervously  up  and  down  the 
room.  Sara  Lukievna  remained  where  she  was 
and  followed  her  movements  with  sympathetic 
eyes. 

Lisa  Fedorovna  paced  swiftly  back  and  forth, 
her  head  erect  and  her  eyes  fixed  staringly  on 
space.  She  moved  with  tireless  activity  and 
turned  where  the  walls  set  the  limit  to  the  beat, 
with  the  precision  of  a  restless  animal  in  its 
cage.  She  continued  at  this  so  long  that  Sara 
Lukievna  became  uneasy.  But  before  she  could 
determine  how  best  to  interfere,  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna stopped  suddenly  in  her  march  and,  com- 
ing back  to  the  bed,  stood  in  front  of  her  with 
almost  defiant  eyes. 

"I  am  going  to  tell  you,"  she  said  abruptly. 
"I  did  not  think  that  I  should  ever  speak  of  it 
to  any  one  without  Luka  's  word.  But  you  know 
more  about  the  matter  now  than  any  besides 
us,  and  I  must  tell  some  one  or  I  believe  I  shall 
go  mad." 

She  waited  again  for  a  time  that  seemed  in- 
terminable to  the  impatient  girl,  as  if,  after  all, 


LISA'S  STORY  361 

the  thing  was  still  too  secret  with  her  to  be 
told.  When  she  did  speak,  it  was  hurriedly,  as 
if  there  lurked  furtively  in  her  the  fear  that, 
before  she  finished,  she  would  be  called  upon  to 
stop. 

"Do  you  remember,"  she  said  at  last,  slowly, 
"that  I  once  told  you  that  when  your  father 
first  came  to  me,  he  thought  me  another  than 
myself?" 

"Yes,"  assented  the  girl  promptly. 

"And  that  when  I  went  away  with  him,  he 
still  thought  me  your  mother  and  called  me  by 
her  name?" 

"Yes."  The  older  woman's  lips  drew  to- 
gether and  she  held  her  breath  as  if  uncertain 
what  next  to  say. 

"Therer  was  one  thing  I  did  not  tell  you  at 
that  time,"  she  began  again  abruptly.  "You 
know  that  your  father  had  a  brother?"  The 
girl's  eyes  were  fixed  on  Lisa  Fedorovna's  face 
and  she  gravely  nodded  her  head. 

* '  I  have  heard  so, ' '  she  said,  * '  though  he  has 
not  spoken  of  him  for  years." 

"It  was  to  his  house  in  Aldansk  that  your 
father  came  when  he  went  back  to  the  other 
side,"  went  on  the  older  woman  quickly.  She 


362  HIS  WIFE 

paused  again  with  the  same  tense  compression 
of  the  lips.  "What  I  did  not  tell  you  before 
was,"  she  said  at  last,  "that  at  the  time  he 
came,  his  brother  cared  for  me  and  wanted  me 
and  my  father  had  promised  me  to  him  as  his 
wife."  She  stopped  abruptly  on  the  declara- 
tion and  fixed  her  eyes  challengingly  on  Sara 
Lukievna,  as  if  she  expected  from  her  some 
outburst  of  protest  or  surprise.  But  the  girl's 
face  remained  turned  to  her  with  no  change  in 
its  attentive  expectation  and,  beyond  a  quick- 
ening in  her  breathing,  gave  no  sign  of  the  ex- 
citement which  was  stirring  her  within.  Lisa 
Fedorovna's  eyes  went  away  from  her  again 
and  her  face  softened  as  the  memories  began  to 
stir. 

"I  can  see  Luka  now  as  he  was  the  first  day 
that  he  came,"  she  said  softly.  "His  brother 
brought  him  to  the  house  and  I  remember 
thinking  how  very  like  they  were  in  looks,  only 
that  Luka  was  more  slender  and  had  more  lines 
of  trouble  in  his  face.  I  was  curious  about  him, 
of  course,  because  he  was  Egor's  brother, 
though  I  thought  nothing  further  of  him  at  the 
time.  But  from  the  first  moment  he  came  in, 
I  saw  him  watching  me  with  a  curious,  attentive 


LISA'S  STORY  363 

look,  and,  without  waiting  to  be  brought,  he 
came  to  me  and  put  out  both  his  hands. 

"  *I  knew  you  would  be  here,'  he  said.  'I 
have  never  doubted  it,  since  you  came  to  me 
there  in  Kussilof.'  It  was  so  strange  a  greet- 
ing, coming  before  them  all,  that  it  frightened 
me  and  I  would  not  let  him  take  my  hands. 
But  when  I  spoke  about  it  to  Egor — your  uncle 
— he  only  laughed. 

11  'You  must  humor  him,'  he  said.  'Luka  is 
harmless.  It  is  the  only  thing  on  which  he  is 
wrong-headed.  He  thinks  you  are  his  wife.' 
And  then  he  told  me  the  story  of  your  mother's 
death. ' '  She  stopped  for  a  moment,  with  some- 
thing that  was  very  like  a  sob. 

"I  suppose  it  was  pity  that  began  it,"  she 
said  when  she  could  again  bring  herself  to 
speak.  "I  know  I  did  not  love  him  for  a  long 
time  after  that.  In  fact,  I  was  afraid  of  him 
and  avoided  him  where  I  could.  But  Luka  him- 
self never  doubted  after  that  first  look.  He 
was  never  insistent,  nor  disturbed  because  I 
did  not  understand.  He  never  asked  me  to  care 
for  him,  or  said  the  other  things  one  would  nat- 
urally expect.  But  I  never  turned  around  with- 
out finding  him  at  my  elbow ;  there  was  nothing 


364  HIS  WIFE 

for  my  pleasure  or  comfort  so  small  that  he 
did  not  remember  it  and  provide,  and  always 
there  was  in  his  eyes  that  wonderful  look  which 
made  me  conscious  that  he  believed  me  the  only 
thing  worth  while  to  him  in  life. 

"  'No,  you  are  Kovya,'  was  all  the  answer  I 
ever  got  from  him  when  I  tried  to  make  him 
understand.  What  could  I  do  when  he  assumed 
like  that?  But  there  never  was  a  time  when  I 
realized  that  there  was  anything  more  intimate 
than  this  between  us,  and  how  it  changed  and 
grew  I  do  not  know. 

"When  the  time  came  finally  for  my  mar- 
riage, like  a  flash  it  came  to  me  how  closely  he 
had  grown  into  my  life.  He  could  not  but  ob- 
serve the  preparations  going  on,  and  I  suppose 
some  under  sense  made  plain  to  him  what  con- 
sciously he  did  not  see.  For  from  the  moment 
of  their  beginning,  he  was  uneasy  and  three 
days  before  the  time  for  me  to  stand  beneath 
the  crown,  he  waylaid  me  under  the  trees  out- 
side as  I  was  going  home.  He  had  never 
touched  me  before,  as  a  lover  would,  but  that 
night  he  put  his  arms  around  me  as  if  he  had 
always  had  the  right,  and  drew  me  close  against 
him  as  he  talked. 


LISA'S  STORY  365 

"  'Kovya,'  he  said,  'the  word  has  come  to 
me,  and  to-night  we  shall  begin  our  journey 
home.'  In  spite  of  her  wild  interest  Sara 
Lukievna  could  not  forbear  to  speak. 

"But  he  called  you  Kovya,"  she  broke  in 
protestingly.  "Did  you  not  understand  how  it 
was  with  him  from  that?" 

"No,"  said  Lisa  Fedorovna  slowly.  "And 
perhaps  it  is  not  so  strange,  after  all,  that  I  let 
it  pass.  You  see,  he  had  been  calling  me  Kovya 
for  so  long  a  time.  When  he  first  did  it,  I  hated 
it  and  spoke  to  him  about  it,  so  that  he  might 
see  that  he  was  wrong.  I  became  used  to  it 
finally,  as  I  did  to  all  the  rest,  and  I  believe 
that,  by  the  time  the  end  came,  I  had  even  for- 
gotten that  Kovya  was  not  some  particular 
love  name  he  had  picked  out  to  call  me  by,  be- 
cause he  liked  it  better  than  my  own. 

"But  that  night,  it  did  not  even  come  to  me 
as  strange  that  he  should  take  me  and  hold  me 
in  his  arms.  He  had  never  done  it  before  and 
I  do  not  remember  that  I  had  ever  even  won- 
dered if  he  would.  But  when  he  did,  and  spoke 
to  me  in  that  way,  I  turned  as  mad  as  he  was,  I 
suppose.  For  like  a  flash,  all  my  blindness  fell 
away  from  me  and  it  grew  plain  to  me  as  day- 


366  HIS  WIFE 

light  that  the  only  place  where  I  could  ever  he 
truly  happy  in  this  world  was  in  the  sheltering 
circle  of  his  arms."  She  held  her  breath  for  a 
moment  and  then  let  it  go  out  sharply  in  a  sigh. 

"I  suppose  that  you  are  shocked  that  I  did 
not  feel  more  responsibility  that  Egor  was  so 
badly  served.  You  see,  while  Egor  did  have  my 
promise  that  I  would  be  his  wife,  it  was  my 
father's  match,  not  mine.  I  do  not  mean  that 
I  could  have  married  him  like  a  peasant  woman, 
without  any  love  at  all.  But  he  was  not  dis- 
tasteful to  me,  there  was  no  other  man,  and  I 
thought  I  should  come  to  care  for  him  in  time. 

"I  should  surely  have  kept  my  promise  if 
Luka  had  not  come.  But  as  I  measure  the  two 
of  them  after  all  this  time,  I  think  I  understand 
how  it  was  that  I  turned  so  naturally  to  the  one 
I  did.  Egor  was  different  in  the  way  he  cared. 
He  admired  me,  of  course,  and  I  suppose,  too, 
that  he  had  passion  for  me  and  looked  forward 
to  the  time  when  I  should  be  his  own.  But,  like 
most  Russian  girls,  I  was  going  to  him  on  a 
bargain  made  with  my  father  rather  than  with 
me,  and  I  suppose  it  never  occurred  to  him 
that  there  was  anything  more  expected  of  him 
than  the  strict  letter  of  the  bond. 


LISA'S  STOEY  367 

"He  felt  the  duty  to  see  that  I  was  decently 
amused,  and  gave  me  presents  and  was  often 
close  at  my  side.  But  beyond  these  things, 
he  never  sought  to  know  what  was  really  in  my 
heart  and,  in  fact,  I  suspect  it  never  occurred  to 
him  to  try. 

"But  with  Luka  it  was  all  the  other  way.  He 
never  gave  me  presents.  He  never  made  me  a 
compliment  in  his  life.  But  I  had  from  him  in- 
stead that  which  no  man  before  had  ever  of- 
fered me — a  place  in  the  inmost  corner  of  his 
heart.  It  was  his  soul  that  he  put  into  my  hands 
and  my  soul  had  no  choice  but  to  answer  to  the 
call.  As  I  have  said,  he  never  openly  advanced 
a  claim,  but  his  love  was  through  me  and 
around  me  and  about  me,  until,  before  the  end, 
I  could  not  even  have  a  thought  without  feeling 
that  somehow  he  had  in  it  a  part.  And  there 
you  have  the  whole  reason  for  my  choice.  The 
one  man  had  my  promise,  the  other  had  my 
heart.  What  would  you  have  done  if  you  had 
been  in  my  place?"  She  stopped  abruptly  and 
there  was  a  suspicious  tremble  in  her  voice. 
Sara  Lukievna  made  no  effort  to  reply,  but  her 
hands  went  out  with  involuntary  sympathy  and 
she  stood  touching  Lisa  Fedorovna  comfort- 


368  HIS  WIFE 

ingly  till  after  a  moment's  pause  she  began 
again  to  speak. 

"Oh,  what  a  mad  night  it  was!"  she  said. 
"And  the  maddest  thing  about  it,  even  now,  is 
that  I  turned  to  him  that  way  when  he  spoke  to 
me,  without  a  hesitation  or  a  doubt.  Somehow, 
there  was  not  even  a  question  about  it  in  my 
mind.  I  answered  because  it  seemed  the  only 
thing  to  do. 

"  *I  will  go,'  I  said,  'but  it  can  not  be  to- 
night.' He  did  not  yield  as  he  had  done  at 
other  times  and  let  me  have  my  way. 

"  'No,'  he  said,  'it  is  ordered  and  we  have 
now  no  choice. '  I  was  not  so  blind  but  I  could 
see  advantage  in  his  plan.  It  took  small 
thought  to  tell  me  what  trouble  there  would  be 
when  Egor  and  my  father  came  to  know.  There 
was  the  chance,  to  be  sure,  that  they  would  let 
me  go.  But  it  was  a  desperate  chance  and,  if 
my  father  chose  to  force  me,  of  course  that 
would  have  been  the  end.  But,  for  all  that,  I 
could  not  steal  away  and  leave  them  that  way 
without  a  word,  so  I  braced  myself  to  strug- 
gle with  Luka  and  bring  him  to  my  wish. 

' '  '  Surely  I  have  given  all  that  you  could  ask 
to-night,'  I  said.  'About  the  rest,  you  must  be 


LISA'S  STOEY  369 

patient  and  wait  till  I  can  work  it  out  my  way.' 

"  'But  the  man  is  waiting  with  the  horses, 
yonder  at  the  bridge,'  he  answered.  'I  told 
him  we  would  come  as  soon  as  you  were  pre- 
pared. ' 

"  'No,  not  to-night,'  I  said.  'It  would  not  be 
right  to  Egor  or  the  rest ! '  I  must  have  spoken 
louder  than  I  knew,  for  out  of  the  dark  there 
came  an  answer,  like  an  echo  to  my  words. 

"  'What  will  not  be  right  to  me?'  it  said,  and 
before  I  could  collect  myself  or  even  escape 
from  Luka's  arms,  Egor  himself  was  upon  us, 
coming  to  us  out  of  the  shadows  like  a  ghost. 
I  knew  that  he  had  been  away  all  day  at  work 
among  his  cattle,  and  he  was  still  in  his  rough 
clothes  and  carried  his  short-handled  whip. 

"He  stopped  abruptly  and  looked  at  us  in 
manifest  surprise.  But  Luka's  conviction  that 
his  wife  was  yet  alive  was  so  well  established 
with  him,  that,  when  he  made  his  protest,  it 
was  not  to  him  but  me. 

"  'This  is  going  far,  Lisa,'  he  said  coldly. 
'What  does  it  all  mean?'  My  mouth  was  dry 
and  I  found  no  word  to  say.  But  Luka  took 
up  my  battle  and  answered  for  us  both.  He 
still  detained  me  closely  in  his  arms  and,  when 


370  HIS  WIFE 

he  spoke,  it  was  across  my  shoulder,  with  the 
assumption  of  perfect  right. 

"  'The  call  has  come  to  us,'  he  said  calmly. 
'We  were  preparing  to  go  away/  Egor  listened 
to  him  with  a  bewildered  air  till  he  was  through, 
and  then  he  laughed. 

"  'It  is  worth  while  to  you  that  I  bear  your 
disability  so  clear  in  mind,'  he  said  dryly. 
'Otherwise,  I  should  be  jealous,  I  am  afraid/ 
He  waited  to  see  me  released  and  free  again, 
but  Luka  had  caught  some  breath  of  Egor's 
own  irritation  and  stood  his  ground,  his  eyes 
fixed  watchfully  on  his  brother's  face. 

"  'Let  us  have  an  end  to  this  foolishness,' 
said  Egor  roughly.  '  Have  you,  too,  gone  mad  1 ' 
I  do  not  know  what  power  it  was  that  gave  me 
courage,  but  I  felt  the  uplift  stir  in  me  so  that 
I  dared  to  speak. 

"  'I  am  not  sure,'  I  said.  'But  I  have  told 
him  I  would  go.'  The  announcement  was  so 
unexpected  that,  for  the  moment,  he  was  fairly 
dazed.  But  his  eyes  went  away  from  me  to 
Luka  and  when  he  spoke  it  was  to  turn  his 
whole  anger  against  him. 

"  'So  you  are  not  the  mad  fool  that  I 
thought  you!'  he  cried.  'Before  God,  you  shall 


LISA'S  STORY  371 

answer  for  every  jot  that  you  have  tampered 
with  her  faith ! '  He  raised  his  whip  as  if  about 
to  strike  and  Luka  met  him  on  the  word. 
Swinging  me  behind  him  so  that  he  stood  be- 
tween, he  faced  his  brother  fearlessly,  his  eyes 
afire  with  menace  and  his  hand  thrust  down 
into  the  deep  pocket  of  his  blouse. 

"  'Take  care!'  he  cried.  'If  you  touch  her, 
I  shall  know  how  to  defend  my  own!'  His 
frank  assumption  of  possession  stirred  Egor 
out  of  all  control. 

"  'Your  own!'  he  cried.  'There  will  be  a 
score  to  pay  before  such  claim  has  truth !  Take 
that  and  that  as  earnest  of  the  price !'  His  arm 
was  up  and,  like  a  flash,  he  brought  the  lash  of 
the  whip  down  twice  across  Luka's  face. 

"It  was  hard  to  follow  what  happened  after 
that.  I  saw  them  grapple  and  heard  their 
breathing  and  the  trample  of  their  feet  as  they 
swayed  backward  and  forward  among  the  trees. 
Then,  as  they  came  where  the  light  was  better 
in  a  clearer  space,  I  saw  that  each  had  the  other 
by  a  wrist  and  held  so  grimly  that  neither  one 
could  strike.  Egor  made  shift  to  use  the  handle 
of  his  whip,  but  Luka  in  his  free  hand  held  a 
knife. 


372  HIS  WIFE 

"They  strained  at  each  other  silently,  for 
neither  had  the  breath  to  speak.  I  found  my- 
self bending  and  resisting  as  they  did,  though 
I  stood  so  far  away,  and  it  was  an  agony  to  me 
that  Egor  was  the  stronger  and  pushed  Luka 
back.  They  made  an  end  at  last,  but  when 
it  came  it  was  so  sudden  that  I  scarcely  under- 
stood. Egor's  strength  served  him  so  that  he 
pushed  his  brother  to  his  knees.  With  a  sudden 
twist  he  wrenched  free  his  arms  and  I  saw  him 
bring  the  heavy  whip  butt  down  on  Luka 's  head. 
At  the  same  moment  Luka  lunged  forward  with 
the  knife  and,  as  if  with  the  one  impulse,  both 
men  went  down  together  to  the  ground. 

"It  was  so  suddenly  still  after  the  confusion 
of  the  battle,  that  for  a  moment  I  stood  breath- 
less in  my  place.  The  noise  of  it,  while  it  was 
going  on,  had  seemed  enough  to  alarm  the  whole 
world  around  us,  and  now  that  it  was  done  I 
waited  with  my  heart  in  my  mouth  for  the  peo- 
ple who  had  heard  to  come.  But  there  was  not 
so  much  as  a  call  in  answer,  and  even  Egor  and 
Luka  lay  quiet  on  the  ground. 

"But  that  was  only  for  the  instant.  A  de- 
vouring need  to  know  how  it  had  fared  with 
them  brought  me  sharply  from  my  panic,  and  I 


LISA'S  STORY  373 

went  to  them  with  a  rush.  The  heart  dropped 
out  of  me  completely  as  I  knelt  by  Luka's  side. 
My  hands  shook  so  that  I  could  scarcely  place 
them  and  I  saw  him  only  through  a  mist  of 
tears.  He  was  alive,  thank  God,  though  uncon- 
scious from  the  blow  of  the  heavy  whip.  There 
was  a  long  gash  where  it  had  struck  him,  and  as 
I  lifted  his  head  I  felt  the  blood  from  it  run 
warm  across  my  hands.  Egor  neither  moved 
nor  breathed,  and  I  needed  nothing  further  than 
my  eyes  to  tell  me  that  the  knife  had  reached 
him  in  some  vital  part. 

"How  long  I  sat  there  holding  Luka  in  my 
arms  I  do  not  know.  At  first  I  was  simply 
dazed  and  had  no  memory,  except  perhaps  the 
foolish  thought  that,  by  so  doing,  I  was  keeping 
him  from  slipping  out  of  life.  But,  step  by 
step,  the  horror  of  it  grew  till  I  was  all  clear- 
headed and  a-quake  and  set  myself  miserably 
to  plan  what  I  should  do. 

'  *  The  thing  I  longed  for  most  was  that  Luka 
should  have  help.  But  there  the  problem  met 
me  that  if  I  sought  it,  there  could  be  no  hiding 
of  his  brother's  death.  And  in  Egor's  own 
town  I  knew  what  punishment  would  be  meted 
out  to  Luka,  if  they  helped  him  and  he  lived. 


374  HIS  WIFE 

The  only  safety  I  could  think  of  lay  in  getting 
him  away,  and  blessedly  there  came  to  me  the 
memory  of  the  arrangement  for  our  going  and 
the.  man  who  waited  with  the  horses  at  the 
bridge. 

"I  could  not  bear  to  touch  Egor,  but  God 
gave  me  strength  so  that  I  lifted  Luka  and 
dragged  him  to  where  the  man  could  take  him 
without  finding  out  the  rest.  He  was  fright- 
ened when  he  saw  him,  but  he  had  pity  on  me 
in  the  end  and  between  us  we  put  him  in  the 
troika  and  got  away  without  raising  an  alarm. 

"It  was  a  strange  ride  out  there  in  the  night! 
I  was  going  away  with  Luka,  as  he  had  said  I 
would,  though  Heaven  knows  it  was  not  because 
I  wished  it  or  was  following  taika's  plan.  I 
had  to  go.  There  was  no  other  thing  to  do, 
and,  as  the  miles  were  left  behind,  over  and  over 
with  growing  force  there  pressed  on  me  the  con- 
viction that  we  were  simply  helpless  in  the 
hands  of  fate  and  moving  in  answer  to  a  call. 

"The  driver  was  good  to  me,  and  helped  me 
as  he  could.  When  he  finally  left  me,  he  got 
me  new  horses  and  a  surgeon  for  Luka 's  wound. 
But  I  would  wait  only  until  the  cut  was  cleansed 
and  bound;  then,  with  his  head  on  my  lap,  I 


LISA'S  STORY  375 

put  forty  versts  between  us  and  the  accursed 
place  that  I  had  left.  I  would  have  put  more, 
only  I  was  afraid  for  him. 

"I  have  forgotten  the  name  of  the  town  to 
which  we  came.  It  was  called  Khalm,  or  some- 
thing of  that  sort.  For  me  there  is  no  recollec- 
tion of  it,  save  as  a  whitewashed  room  with 
scarcely  a  furnishing  beyond  the  paper  icon 
on  the  wall,  and  a  man  in  bed,  who  could  not 
move  and  who  groaned  and  babbled  in  delirium 
when  the  stupor  broke  so  that  he  talked  at  all. 

"Oh,  the  unspeakable  loneliness  of  those 
days !  I  can  not  tell  whether  it  was  more  dread- 
ful at  high  noon  or  at  night.  In  both,  I  was 
equally  alone,  for  people  were  suspicious  of 
my  story  and  came  neither  to  sympathize  nor 
to  blame.  I  sat  for  days  without  a  sound  about 
me  but  Luka's  breathing  and  the  noise  of  the 
flies  as  they  drummed  against  the  windows  or 
stirred  in  the  circle  of  light  above  the  lamp! 

"I  had  full  time  to  think  on  all  that  had  gone 
before.  No  one  from  Aldansk  sought  me  out, 
and  I  have  never  heard  from  my  father  or  the 
others  from  that  day.  Toward  the  end,  the 
only  thing  which  kept  me  from  going  wholly 
mad  was  that  I  could  see  Luka  growing  better 


376  HIS  WIFE 

as  I  watched,  and  knew  that  the  time  was  com- 
ing when  he  would  open  his  eyes  and  know  me 
and  I  should  hear  him  speak  my  name.  I 
thought  for  days  what  he  would  say  when  he 
turned  to  me  with  that  first  glance  of  recogni- 
tion in  his  eyes.  And  then,  as  suddenly  as  if  I 
had  not  expected  it,  it  came. 

"I  was  standing  by  the  window,  with  my 
back  turned  to  the  bed,  looking  out  at  a  line  of 
caravan  horses  which  were  being  driven  in 
from  some  country  to  the  south,  and  suddenly 
the  feeling  came  to  me  that  something  had  hap- 
pened in  the  room.  I  felt  it  must  be  Luka,  and 
my  nerves  began  to  tingle  and  my  pulses  to 
dance,  so  that  I  was  afraid  to  look  around  at 
him,  lest  the  excitement  of  my  joy  should  show 
so  strongly  that  it  would  come  to  him  as  a 
shock. 

"I  forced  myself  to  turn  slowly,  as  if  noth- 
ing had  occurred,  and  sure  enough,  his  eyes 
were  open  and  he  was  looking  at  me  with  a 
glance  that  was  as  clear  and  limpid  as  a  child's. 
I  made  myself  move  slowly  as  I  went  to  him, 
though  my  heart  was  jumping  so  that  I  was 
sure  that  he  would  hear. 

"  'What  is  it,  Luka?'  I  said  and  put  my  hand 


LISA'S  STORY  377 

against  his  cheek.  He  continued  to  gaze  at  me 
with  the  look  of  solemn  steadiness  which  weak- 
ness puts  into  the  eyes,  and  made  the  effort  to 
make  known  his  wish. 

"  'I  want  Kovya,'  he  said  slowly.  I  bent 
down  to  him  and  kissed  him  on  the  lips. 

"  'Why,  I  am  Kovya,'  I  said,  though  the 
awful  suspicion  stirred  in  me  that  perhaps, 
after  all,  he  was  not  yet  himself.  He  consid- 
ered for  a  moment,  letting  his  lids  fall  so  that 
I  could  not  see  his  eyes. 

"  'No,'  he  said  without  opening  them  again, 
'I  want  Kovya,  my  wife.'  My  heart  went  down 
like  lead  that  he  did  not  know  me,  but  it  was 
something  that  he  had  spoken,  and  I  tried  to 
console  myself  with  that.  But  when,  after  an 
hour  of  rest,  he  woke  again,  it  was  with  the 
same  demand  upon  his  lips.  And  so  again,  till 
I  could  no  longer  hide  from  myself  that  he  was 
surely  in  his  mind  and  understood,  and  I  de- 
termined to  tell  to  him  the  truth. 

"  'I  am  not  really  Kovya,  you  know,  but 
Lisa,  whom  you  call  Kovya,  and  took  in  Kov- 
ya's  stead,'  I  said,  the  next  time  that  he  asked. 
I  would  have  given  worlds  to  hear  him  say,  *  No, 
you  are  Kovya, '  as  he  had  always  done  when  I 


378  HIS  WIFE 

denied  the  name  to  him  before.  But  this  time 
he  looked  at  me  with  eyes  that  had  in  them  an 
inquiry  that  was  very  near  to  fear. 

"  'I  do  not  know  you,'  he  said  wearily  and 
turned  away  his  face.  Even  then  I  could  not 
believe,  and  comforted  myself  with  the  delusion 
that  when  he  became  really  conscious  he  would 
know  me  as  before. 

"  'Where  is  Kovya,  then?'  he  asked  after  a 
little. 

1(1  'Do  you  not  remember?'  I  said.  'She  died 
at  Kussilof  before  you  came  away.'  He  lay 
and  considered  this  silently,  and  after  a  mo- 
ment the  tears  began  to  run  from  between  his 
closed  lids. 

"  'Then  they  were  right,'  he  said  slowly. 
'  They  told  me  that,  but  I  did  not  believe  that  it 
was  true.'  He  did  not  question  further  and  I 
did  not  urge  him  to  go  on.  I  was  eager  in  fact 
to  wait,  for  my  only  hope  lay  in  the  fact  that, 
as  he  grew  stronger,  his  mind  would  grow  more 
clear. 

"I  told  you  how  dreadful  the  loneliness  was 
for  me  when  I  first  brought  him  to  the  place. 
But  God  knows  it  was  as  nothing  to  the  horror 
of  that  later  time !  Oh,  Sara,  it  was  all  true 


LISA'S  STORY  379 

as  I  had  feared.  The  blow  or  the  sickness  which 
followed,  had,  in  some  secret  way,  unwound  the 
tangle  of  delusion  in  his  mind,  and  set  him  back 
to  where  he  had  been  when  he  received  the 
initial  shock.  What  came  between  was  all  a 
blank  to  him,  and  I  had  even  to  tell  to  him  my 
name ! ' ' 

Sara  Lukievna  in  her  interest  had  drawn 
nearer  to  Lisa  Fedorovna  until  her  arms  were 
round  her  and,  as  she  paused,  they  stood  crying 
together  breast  to  breast.  But  Lisa  Fedorovna 
was  torn  so  bitterly  by  her  despair  that  she 
could  not  remain  sanely  still.  She  unclasped 
the  girl's  arms  with  sudden  roughness,  and  al- 
most frantically  pushed  her  back. 

"Let  me  go!"  she  panted.  "I  can  not 
breathe  when  you  cling  to  me  like  that !"  Then 
the  vane  went  round  again  and  she  caught  the 
girl  tightly  in  her  arms.  "Forgive  me,"  she 
cried.  "I  have  drunk  so  deep  of  the  cup  of 
shame  that  sometimes  its  bitterness  is  too  much 
for  me  to  hold."  She  bent  her  head  till  it  lay 
against  the  other's  hair,  and  the  contact  soothed 
her  so  that  presently  she  spoke  again. 

"Let  me  tell  you  the  rest,"  she  said.  "It 
will  not  take  me  long  now.  There  could  be  no 


380  HIS  WIFE 

mistake  for  me  after  I  understood.  Fate  had 
made  me  a  stranger  to  Luka  and  I  tried  to  keep 
a  stranger's  place.  At  first  it  was  hard  not  to 
touch  him  and  take  care  of  him  as  I  had  done 
before,  and  more  than  once  I  forgot  and  kissed 
him  when  he  was  asleep. 

"But  he  knew  from  the  first  that  I  was  no 
ordinary  stranger  and  his  eyes  followed  me  con- 
tinually with  such  perplexity  and  wistful  in- 
quiry that  they  almost  drove  me  mad.  I  did  not 
dare  to  tell  him  when  he  was  so  weak,  but  as  he 
grew  stronger,  he  demanded  more  and  more, 
until  one  day  when  he  was  dressed  again  and 
sitting  by  the  window  in  the  sun,  I  plucked  up 
courage  and  told  him  the  whole  bitter  story 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  He  did  not 
speak  or  look  at  me,  but,  when  it  was  done,  he 
reached  across  and  put  his  hand  down  on  mine 
— and  my  heart  stood  still,  for  in  spite  of  what 
had  happened,  it  seemed  impossible  that  he 
should  not  go  on  and  speak  and  tell  me  that  he 
loved  me  as  he  had  done  before. 

"  'You  are  a  brave  woman/  he  said,  and  in 
his  voice  there  was  such  a  quiver  of  sympathy 
— and  nothing  more — that  I  could  not  bear  it, 
and  sprang  up  and  got  away  while  I  could  yet 


LISA'S  STORY  381 

keep  check  upon  my  tears.  But  later,  when  we 
were  both  more  calm,  he  came  to  me  and  stood 
in  front  of  me  and  put  out  both  his  hands. 

"  l  It  is  a  strange  tangle  which  fate  has  made 
of  our  two  lives,'  he  said,  'and  the  story  is  all 
so  new  to  me  that  I  am  not  yet  altogether  cer- 
tain what  it  is  right  that  we  should  do.  I  wish 
that  I  could  say  to  you  now  that  I  love  you,  as 
you  tell  me  I  did  before  this  trouble  came.  But 
whatever  it  was  that  brought  me  so  unexpect- 
edly into  your  life,  it  has  seen  fit  to  take  me  as 
rudely  out  again,  and  all  I  can  now  say  to  you 
is  this:  what  I  did  was  done  innocently,  not 
knowing,  and  I  am  sorry  that  it  should  be  so 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  I  have  it  on  my 
soul  that  my  brother  is  dead  by  my  hand,  and 
that,  wittingly  or  unwittingly,  I  did  it  for  your 
sake.  That  of  itself  would  always  stand  as  a 
barrier  between  us,  if  I  thought  to  take  you  as 
a  wife.  But  there  seems  no  doubt  but  God 
wishes  it  that  we  should  remain  together  for 
the  time  at  least,  and  I  can  think  now  of  nothing 
better  for  us  to  do  than  to  follow  the  command. 
The  road  is  closed  which  would  take  you  back 
to  your  old  life.  Let  us  go  on  together  till  we 
see,  and  make  what  we  can  of  what  is  left  to  us. 


382  HIS  WIFE 

No  one  need  know  that  we  are  not  man  and 
wife,  and,  God  willing,  I  will  give  to  you,  so 
far  as  lies  in  my  power,  the  happiness  that 
would  have  been  yours  if  I  had  not  come  like  a 
thief  into  your  old  life  and  taken  it  away/ 

'  *  I  had  no  strength  to  urge  a  different  course. 
There  was  no  doubt  but  Egor  was  dead  and 
that  the  door  was  closed  against  me  in  my 
father's  house.  But  more  it  weighed  with  me 
that,  though  we  were  thus  cruelly  set  apart,  in 
my  heart,  at  least,  I  was  really  Luka's  wife, 
and,  feeling  so,  there  was  no  other  place  in  the 
world  for  me  except  at  his  side.  So  I  agreed 
as  bravely  as  I  could,  and,  when  he  was  strong 
enough,  we  began  the  journey  here. 

' '  The  rest  you  know,  for  in  it  you  have  had  a 
part.  But  this  perhaps  you  have  not  under- 
stood. God  has  granted  me  the  one  consolation 
that  I  wished.  In  the  months  that  have  passed, 
He  has  touched  your  father's  heart  so  that  it 
has  turned  to  me,  and  he  has  really  come  to 
love  me  for  myself.  Not  with  the  old  love 
which  gave  me  place  because  he  thought  I  was 
your  mother  come  again.  That  went  with  his 
awakening,  never  to  return.  The  new  love 
came  because  he  needed  me,  and  could  not  do 


LISA'S  STORY  383 

without.  I  did  not  seek  it,  and,  for  a  long  time, 
I  was  afraid  to  trust  it  when  it  came.  But  your 
father  does  not  do  things  by  halves  and,  when 
he  made  up  his  mind,  he  came  to  me  and  opened 
again  for  me  the  door  of  the  Heaven  which  he 
had  closed  before. ' '  She  spoke  with  a  conscious 
accession  of  dignity,  and  her  head  lifted  with  a 
pathetic  touch  of  pride. 

"He  loves  me  now,"  she  said,  "as  he  did 

your  mother  in  the  older  days — and  that,  as  you 

know,  was  with  the  full  strength  of  his  heart." 

"But,"  said  the  girl  eagerly,  "why  did  yon 

go  out  to  meet  with  Ivan  Ignatich,  as  you  did!" 

1 '  Can  you  not  see  ?    Ivan  Ignatich  was  Egor  's 

clerk  at  home.    He  knew,  of  course,  all  that  had 

occurred.    I  went  to  pay  him  so  he  would  not 

tell." 

"But  the  letter!"  cried  the  girl.  "It  was 
not  one  of  business,  but  of  love."  The  look  of 
exaltation  faded  from  Lisa  Fedorovna's  face, 
and  she  turned  to  Sara  Lukievna  with  her  old 
sorrowful  look. 

"Did  you  believe  it  of  me,  too?"  she  said. 
"What  is  there  wrong  with  me  that  every  one 
should  be  so  sure  I  am  untrue?" 
"Oh,  no!"  cried  the  girl.    "I  did  not  think 


384  HIS  WIFE 

of  that.  No  one  who  really  knows  you  could  be 
so  blind ! ' '  Lisa  Fedorovna  's  eyes  softened  and 
she  bent  her  glance  to  Sara  Lukievna  with  a 
misty  smile. 

1  'But  Pavel  Pavelovitch  did,"  she  said  help- 
lessly, ' '  and  Luka  himself  was  so  sure  of  it  that 
he  shamed  me  before  your  foster  father,  and 
would  not  even  let  me  tell  him  how  it  was." 
Sara  Lukievna 's  curiosity  caught  at  the  new 
idea. 

"Shamed  you?"  she  repeated.  "I  did  not 
know  of  that ! ' ' 

"Yes.  He  told  the  commandant  that  he  had 
cast  me  off — that  I  had  no  claim  on  him  be- 
cause I  was  not  his  wife."  The  girl's  mouth 
opened,  and  her  eyes  began  to  blaze. 

"Oh,  how  could  he!  How  could  he!"  she 
cried  indignantly.  "A  stone  would  have  had 
more  heart!"  Then  her  swift  temper  mastered 
her,  and  she  turned  to  Lisa  Fedorovna  with  a 
fierce  demand.  "What  did  you  say  to  him?" 
she  cried.  "Did  you  tell  him  what  you 
thought?"  Lisa  Fedorovna 's  face  flushed  and 
she  helplessly  shook  her  head. 

"No,"  she  said.  "It  was  Luka's  secret.  I 
did  not  feel  I  had  the  right. ' ' 


LISA'S  STORY  385 

"Well,  I  should!"  burst  out  the  girl  ex- 
citedly. "I  would  die  before  I  would  let  any 
man  talk  to  me  like  that!"  Lisa  Fedorovna 's 
eyes  fell. 

"Luka  has  been  very  good  to  me,"  she  said, 
"and  I  am  afraid  I  was  not  thinking  of  much 
except  how  best  to  make  him  understand." 

"Oh,"  cried  the  girl  with  tardy  justice.  "It 
was  he,  not  you,  who  was  in  the  wrong.  When 
he  comes  back,  even  if  you  do  not,  I  shall  tell 
him  what  I  think."  Lisa  Fedorovna  caught 
only  at  two  words. 

'  *  Comes  back ! ' '  she  cried.  ' '  Where  has  Luka 
gone?"  The  answer  rose  on  Sara  Lukievna's 
tongue,  but  before  it  was  out  she  bethought  her 
what  the  news  might  mean  to  Lisa  Fedorovna 
in  her  present  excited  mood,  and  abandoned  the 
answer  half-way  on  her  lips. 

"Why,  he  has  gone — "  she  said,  and  stopped 
so  abruptly  that  Lisa  Fedorovna  could  not  help 
but  read  the  story  in  her  face. 

' '  You  are  keeping  something  from  me ! ' '  she 
cried.  "Where  is  it  that  he  has  gone?"  Sara 
Lukievna  weighed  the  chances  swiftly  and  could 
think  of  nothing  better  than  the  truth. 

"I  do   not  know,   myself,"   she   said  with 


386  HIS  WIFE 

reluctance,  "but  Pavel  Pavel ovitch  said  tliat  he 
had  gone  across  the  river  to  the  other  post." 

*  *  Did  Pavel  Pavelovitch  send  him !  Why  did 
he  go  I "  The  girl  temporized,  delaying  the  dis- 
closure as  long  as  she  could. 

"Oh,  no!"  she  declared  eagerly.  "Pavel 
Pavelovitch  did  not  send  him.  He  tried  to  hold 
him  back!"  Lisa  Fedorovna's  face  showed 
that  she  had  guessed  the  truth  and  understood, 
but  her  courage  refused  to  accept  the  hazard 
till  she  had  corroboration  from  the  other's  lips. 

"No,  tell  me!"  she  cried.  "What  was  it  he 
went  there  to  do  I "  The  girl  answered  without 
equivocation,  though  she  threw  out  her  hand 
as  if  to  parry  the  attack  which  must  come  when 
the  woman  before  her  understood. 

"Lisa,"  she  said  tremulously,  "I  am  afraid 
he  went  over  there  to  fight  with  the  man  with 
whom  you  had  been  meeting  on  this  side. ' '  But 
the  older  woman  scarcely  waited  for  the  end. 
Before  the  words  were  out  of  Sara  Lukievna's 
mouth,  she  was  across  the  room  and  busying 
herself  with  putting  on  her  hood.  Sara  Luki- 
evna  followed  her  and  put  her  hand  upon  her 
arm. 

"There  is  no  need  to  go,"  she  said  sooth- 


LISA'S  STORY  387 

ingly.  "Pavel  Pavelovitch  sent  a  man  after 
him  almost  at  once,  and  in  the  fog  you  will  sim- 
ply pass  them  on  the  way."  But  Lisa  Fedor- 
ovna  was  too  broken  nervously  to  remain  tamely 
still. 

1 1 1  can  not  wait !  I  can  not ! ' '  she  cried  con- 
vulsively. "There  must  be  no  more  bloodshed 
between  him  and  me!"  Sara  Lukievna  en- 
treated helplessly,  but  Lisa  Fedorovna  con- 
tinued her  preparations  with  unabated  haste. 
But  her  trembling  hands  were  still  busy  with 
the  wraps  when  there  was  a  noise  in  the  room 
without  and  the  sound  of  entering  feet.  The 
girl  caught  at  the  interruption  eagerly  and  put 
up  her  hand. 

"Listen!"  she  cried  so  sharply  that  Lisa 
Fedorovna  stopped.  There  was  a  breathless 
moment  of  suspense,  and  then,  distinct  and  be- 
yond mistaking,  Sara  Lukievna  heard  her 
father's  voice  outside  the  door. 

' '  Lisa, ' '  it  said, ' '  Lisa,  where  are  you  ?  May 
I  come  in?"  The  tone  was  boyishly  eager  and 
expectant,  and  so  different  from  the  hard  bit- 
terness with  which  he  had  addressed  Lisa 
Fedorovna  when  she  saw  him  last,  that  the  rec- 
ognition of  it  turned  her  faint.  The  girl,  too, 


388  HIS  WIFE 

caught  the  kindlier  intonation,  and  sprang  to 
her  with  a  little  cry  of  joy.  Lisa  Fedorovna 's 
hands  were  shaking  and  the  things  she  was 
holding  went  down  unnoticed  to  the  floor. 

"Come  in,"  she  said  faintly.  "I  am  here." 
The  answer  scarcely  carried  across  the  room, 
but  the  man  outside  was  too  impatient  to  delay 
for  lack  of  summons,  and,  after  a  moment's 
waiting,  opened  the  door  narrowly  and  looked 
in.  Sara  Lukievna  gave  back  so  that  the  older 
woman  stood  alone.  Lisa  Fedorovna  spoke 
again  and  the  waiting  man  entered,  pausing 
when  he  was  once  inside  to  look  searchingly 
about  the  room.  His  brother  was  with  him  and 
followed  close  behind.  Luka  Antonovitch  stood 
at  rest  in  his  place  till  he  was  sure  of  all  about 
him,  his  head  erect  and  his  face  transfigured  by 
an  inner  joy  that  was  too  deep  to  hide.  Then 
with  a  sharp  in-drawing  of  his  breath,  his  arms 
lifted  and  he  came  swiftly  across  to  where  Lisa 
Fedorovna  stood. 

"Lisa,"  he  cried,  "the  door  is  opened  for 
us!  God  Himself  has  taken  away  the  bar!" 
He  would  have  caught  her  in  his  arms,  but  the 
habit  of  denial  was  still  strong  upon  her,  and 
she  held  him  away  from  her  with  her  hands. 


LISA'S  STORY  389 

He  accepted  the  repulse  meekly,  and,  dropping 
at  her  feet,  lifted  the  hem  of  her  skirt  till  it  lay 
reverently  against  his  lips.  Unconsciously  Lisa 
Fedorovna's  hands  went  down  till  they  pressed 
his  head  on  either  side,  but  her  eyes  were  be- 
yond him  and  fixed  on  the  man  across  the  room. 

"Luka!"  she  cried  sharply.  "Who  is  that 
man  yonder — the  one  that  just  came  in?"  He 
remembered  then  that  he  had  not  told  her,  and 
rose  quickly  to  his  feet. 

' '  It  is  Egor, ' '  he  said  solemnly.  ' '  God  spared 
him  there  at  Aldansk  so  that  he  did  not  die." 
She  found  the  thing  too  sudden  for  belief  and 
continued  to  gaze  fixedly  with  the  same  look  of 
incredulity  and  terror  in  her  eyes. 

"Then  you  are  really  Egor?'*  she  said  at 
last.  "  It  is  true  that  you  are  still  alive! ' '  The 
man  addressed  gasped  at  the  sound  of  her  voice, 
and  made  a  half  unconscious  gesture  of  assent. 

"Yes,  I  am  Egor,"  he  said  hoarsely.  "It  is 
true  that  I  am  not  dead. ' '  He  came  forward  as 
he  spoke  until  he  could  have  touched  her  where 
she  stood.  ' '  God  is  good  to  me  that  He  has  let 
me  come  to  you  again,"  he  said  wistfully.  She 
instinctively  gave  back  a  little  and  did  not  seem 
to  see  the  hand  that  he  held  out. 


390  HIS  WIFE 

"Why  did  you  come?"  she  said  at  last.  Egor 
Strukof'  s  face  darkened  and  he  let  his  breath 
go  out  in  a  bitter  little  laugh. 

"Is  it  so  strange  a  thing,"  he  said,  "that  a 
man  should  take  trouble  to  be  with  the  woman 
to  whom  he  is  betrothed?"  The  question  came 
to  the  two  before  him  like  a  cold  wind  blown, 
and  even  Luka  Strukof 's  eager  face  sobered  as 
he  took  in  the  meaning  of  the  words.  Lisa 
Fedorovna's  eyes  remained  fixed  unflinchingly 
on  those  of  the  speaker,  but  after  a  moment  her 
hand  went  out  and  groped  about  till  it  took 
hold  on  Luka  Strukof 's  sleeve. 

*  *  The  girl  to  whom  you  were  betrothed  is  not 
here,  Egor,"  she  began  earnestly.  "It  has  been 
a  long  time  since  then,  and  out  of  what  has 
come  to  me  I  have  grown  into  something  en- 
tirely other  than  the  woman  you  knew  there  at 
home."  He  broke  in  on  her  with  a  fierce  out- 
rolling  gesture  of  the  hand. 

"Change  or  no  change,"  he  cried,  "you  are 
still  the  person  who  promised  she  would  marry 
me  and  who  made  oath  upon  her  word." 

"Yes,  it  was  I  who  promised,"  she  admitted, 
"and  at  that  time  I  would  have  gone  to  you 
without  a  sign.  But  there  are  some  things  that 


LISA'S  STORY  391 

are  more  binding  even  than  an  oath.  I  do  not 
love  you,  Egor,  and  you  yourself  would  not 
want  me,  would  you,  when  you  knew  that  my 
heart  was  given  to  another  man?"  He  cried 
out  sharply,  as  if  the  words  had  brought  to 
him  some  sudden  physical  pain,  but  there  was 
no  wavering  in  the  firmness  with  which  he 
faced  her,  and  his  whole  air  was  as  full  of  de- 
termination as  before. 

"Why  not?"  he  said  doggedly.  "Am  I  so 
little  of  a  man  that  I  could  not  teach  you  to 
love  me,  once  I  had  you  for  a  wife?"  She  let 
her  eyes  go  away  from  him  to  where  his  brother 
stood,  and  when  they  came  back  they  were 
shining  with  a  new  and  different  light. 

"You  do  not  understand,"  she  said  softly. 
"There  is  nothing  in  the  world  which  could 
bring  me  such  a  change."  Egor  Strukof's  re- 
serve went  suddenly  to  pieces  and  he  threw  up 
his  hands  in  mingled  protest  and  appeal. 

"Understand!"  he  cried.  "It  is  you  who  do 
not  understand.  Can  you  not  see  that  I  would 
not  humble  myself  and  come  to  you  like  this  if 
it  were  not  that  my  whole  heart  cried  out  for 
you,  so  that  I  have  no  happiness  in  life?  Oh, 
I  love  you!  I  need  you!  I  want  you  so  much 


392  HIS  WIFE 

that  I  would  rather  take  you,  knowing  that  your 
heart  was  with  Luka  there  instead  of  with  me, 
than  to  have  any  other  woman  in  the  world." 
Lisa  Fedorovna  moved  forward  to  him  impul- 
sively and  took  both  his  hands. 

"I  had  no  thought  that  you  so  really  cared," 
she  said.  "You  did  not  show  it  to  me  in  those 
older  days.  But,  Egor,  if  the  love  is  real,  would 
you  want  to  ask  of  me  this  thing  which  would 
make  me  unhappy  all  my  life?"  He  crushed 
her  hands  in  his  excitement  till  she  almost  cried 
out  with  the  pain,  and  his  eyes  devoured  her 
with  a  passion  that  was  like  a  fire. 

' l  You  would  not  be  unhappy ! "  he  cried  with 
fierce  resentment.  "I  would  fill  your  life  so 
full  that  you  would  forget  this  other  thing,  and 
it  would  pass!" 

"Egor,  Egor,"  she  said  sadly,  "has  it  passed 
for  you?  You  know  as  well  as  I  that  it  will  last 
for  both  of  us  as  long  as  we  have  life. ' ' 

"Yes,  that  is  true,"  he  admitted  moodily. 
"It  is  not  because  I  have  not  tried  to  forget 
you  that  you  still  have  hold  upon  my  heart." 
She  caught  at  the  advantage  as  if  it  had  been 
more. 

"Be  generous!"  she  cried.     "I  know  how 


LISA'S  STORY  393 

wrong  it  must  seem  to  you  that  I  did  what  I 
did.  But  now,  when  we  both  know  that  even  if 
we  came  together  the  union  could  never  make 
us  one,  be  strong  and  let  me  go  and  work  my 
life  out  by  myself." 

"I  can  not,"  he  said  stubbornly,  and  she  saw 
his  eyes  turn  involuntarily  toward  his  brother 
with  a  sudden  blaze  of  hate. 

"I  know,"  she  said  in  sympathetic  recogni- 
tion. "It  is  doubly  hard  for  you  when  you 
think  I  am  going  to  another  man.  But  this  too 
is  true,  Egor,  that,  even  if  I  could  not  go  to 
Luka,  I  would  not  give  myself  to  you.  I  am 
Luka's  and  he  is  mine  and,  if  I  lose  him,  his 
place  in  my  heart  will  be  consecrate  and  no  man 
shall  ever  fill  it,  while  I  live."  He  lifted  her 
hands  and  stood  looking  at  them  in  apparent 
curiosity,  bending  his  head  so  that  she  could 
not  see  his  face.  She  waited  for  him  to  speak 
and,  when  he  did  not,  she  made  shift  and  spoke 
again. 

"Can  you  not  have  the  courage,  Egor?"  she 
said  tremulously.  "It  is  the  only  way."  He 
hesitated  a  full  moment  longer,  and  then  raised 
her  hands  farther  till  they  lay  against  his  lips, 
is  it  that  you  want  me  to  do!"  he 


394  HIS  WIFE 

said,  so  low  that  close  as  she  was  to  him  she 
scarcely  heard. 

"To  give  me  up,"  she  answered.  "To  go 
away  and  leave  me  to  my  life. ' ' 

"I  will  do  it,"  he  said,  and  lifted  up  his  head. 
He  still  clung  convulsively  to  her  hands  and  his 
face,  as  he  turned  it  up  to  her,  was  so  full  of 
passionate  longing  that  her  heart  smote  her 
almost  to  recall. 

1  *  Go,  in  God 's  name ! ' '  she  said  solemnly,  and 
bending  forward  she  kissed  him  on  the  lips. 
He  let  go  of  her  hands  and  stood  back  from  her, 
his  face  transfigured  by  the  renunciation  he 
was  carrying  out. 

"In  God's  name!"  he  repeated,  as  if  the  in- 
vocation gave  some  needful  consecration  to  the 
act.  Then  with  the  same  even  dignity  and  with- 
out turning  round,  he  took  up  again  his  retreat 
and  passed  out  slowly  through  the  door.  Lisa 
Fedorovna  remained  motionless,  where  she 
stood,  until  he  was  wholly  out  of  sight.  Then 
the  reaction  took  her  and,  as  she  turned,  she 
swayed  unsteadily  and  her  face  looked  worn 
and  tired.  Sara  Lukievna  sprang  to  her,  but 
she  pushed  her  gently  back. 

"No,  I  want  Luka,"   she   said  softly   and 


LISA'S  STORY  395 

turned  to  him  with  eyes  that  tried  pathetically 
to  smile.  His  arm  was  round  her  on  the  mo- 
ment and  he  drew  her  to  him  with  a  thrill  that 
was  the  sweeter  that  for  the  first  time  she 
yielded  altogether  freely  to  his  clasp. 

"Oh,  you  are  mine!"  he  whispered.  "Mine 
before  all  the  world!" 

"Are  you  so  sure  you  love  me?"  she  said. 
"After  all,  would  you  not  have  been  happier 
if  I  had  never  come  into  your  life?" 

"A  thousand  times,  no!"  he  answered.  "It 
is  God's  choice,  as  well  as  mine  that  you  should 
come  to  me  and,  with  neither  of  us,  has  there 
been  mistake." 


THE   END 


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Elusive  Isabel.    By  Jacques  Futrelle. 
Fair  Moon  of  Bath,  The.    By  Elizabeth  Ellis. 
54-40  or  Fight.    By  Emerson  Hough. 


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Inez.    (Illustrated  Edition.)    By  Augusta  J.  Evans. 

Into  the  Primitive.    By  Robert  Ames  Bennet. 

Katrina.    By  Roy  Rolfe  Gilson. 

King  Spruce.    By  Holman  Day. 

Macaria.    (Illustrated  Edition.)   By  Augusta  J.  Evans. 

Meryl.    By  Wm.  Tillinghast  Eldredge. 

Old,  Old  Story,  The.    By  Rosa  Nouchette  Carey. 

Quest  Eternal,  The.    By  Will  Lillibridge. 

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St.  Elmo.  (Illustrated  Edition.)    By  Augusta  J.  Evans. 

Uncle  William.    By  Jennette  Lee. 

Under  the  Red  Robe.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman. 


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